Fade Into Nothingness
by The Apologetic Truth
Summary: Isshin has a daughter from a previous marriage that Ichigo doesn't like to talk about. When his sister comes back unexpectedly, Ichigo is less then happy about it. But when a strange woman shows up the same night, his world is completely changed forever. What's a Soul Reaper? And how does his sister fit into all of this? OCxSoifon
1. Guess Who?

**AN: Ok, a few things about this story before we proceed... One, i am trying to follow the storyline the best i can, but there will be some differences. Two, i am introducing an OC and im trying my best to not make her be completely overpowerful or invincible, so if you think that's the way i'm going, PLEASE tell me. (I HATE when people make their OC's ridiculously overpowered) And three, i apologize for any OOCness that may come out of this. I'm trying to stick as close to the original characters, but in order for this story to work, sometimes people might seem like they aren't acting like themselves. Just bare with me :)**

**Please leave me a review and let me know if you like it or not. If i don't get a lot of feedback, i just might scrap the whole thing. But if people are liking it, i'll keep writing it. I don't care if you wanna flame me or tell me im doing an excellent job :) either way, let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

**One more thing... i dont own Bleach. If i did, it would be nothing but Yoruichi and Soifon goodness :) And Orihime would have been killed off in the first episode... or maybe i would've cast someone else as her voice actor. Either way, things would be different, damn it!**

Fade Into Nothingness

Somewhere between dusk and dawn, daughter calls father:

_"Father, it's about to happen."_

A sigh is heard on the other end, _"Already?" _

_"I'm afraid so. An agent has already been sent and will be arriving tomorrow night, by my calculations."_

There was a short pause before the father continues, _"Then I guess it's time for you to come home."_

_"Understood. What about the others?"_

_"Don't worry about that, I've been preparing for this day for a few weeks now and devised a cover story."_

_"You know I hate lying to them…"_

_"I know, sweetie, but it is for the best. None of them can know until the time is right."_

_"I shall gather my things. I'll be there by morning."_

_"Have a safe trip, Raiden."_

* * *

It was just like any other day, or so it seemed. Ichigo had been rudely awakened by his annoying father in the worst way possible and they fought like children until he had jumped in the shower. He was in no mood to deal with his hyper active father this morning. Luckily, Yuzu had already gotten breakfast on the table when he dragged his grumpy ass downstairs and his spirits brightened a little. He had been out late the previous night chasing some neighborhood thugs away from a little girl's memorial site. Sometimes people just made him sick.

He had eaten breakfast as quickly as possible and left before his father could hit him with another surprise attack. Yuzu handed him his lunch and sent him on his way, after giving him a goodbye kiss. He knew it may seem juvenile to some, but it meant the world to his sister that she was able to do those sort of things for him. Yuzu had become more like the mother of the household and it seemed to please her to do so, so he played along for her benefit. Truth be told, he felt he was too old to be treated in such a manner, but Yuzu meant the world to him so he smiled and endured like any big brother would.

School was as droll as ever, especially when Keigo was around. Ichigo often wondered why he even hung out with the guy. He was constantly screaming and running around like an idiot. Presently, Ichigo was fighting the urge to punch the guy right in the face. "Ichiiiiigoooooooo!" Keigo called out.

Ichigo felt his stomach knot with disgust, "Keigo. What a pleasant surprise," he said sarcastically. A long day of tests and lectures was only half over and Ichigo felt like eating his lunch in peace. He looked up to see Keigo, Chad, and Mizuiro approaching. _"Great,"_ he thought to himself, _"I don't mind Chad being here, but those two?"_

Keigo sat himself down right next to Ichigo, "Ugh, so how about that History test, huh? BRUTAL!"

"Hey do you mind not screaming so loud? I'm right here, you know."

"And then there was that science test today too! I'm scared to think of what might be coming up this afternoon!" Keigo kept talking at a much higher volume, ignoring Ichigo's earlier comment. He took out a sandwich and began waving it dramatically as he spoke, causing Ichigo to wish he were deaf.

"Hey guys!" Ichigo was taken out of his stupor at the sound of Tatsuki's voice. He looked up to see her waving at him.

He smiled and waved back, "Tatsuki! Want to come and have lunch with us?"

She thought about it for a bit, "I don't know, Ichigo, Orihime is supposed to meet me here and-"

"She can come too, of course." Right now he'd do anything to bring more people over to where he was. When there were girls around, Keigo usually didn't utter a single peep.

Tatsuki looked at all the guys who nodded in approval, especially Mizuiro. "Ok," she shrugged and sat next to Ichigo, who had scooted over to allow her and Orihime room to sit between him and Keigo. "Oh right on time," she called out to Orihime who was happily bounding towards them with her lunch in hand.

"Hey everyone!" she called out with a cheery smile. "What do you all have to eat today? I have-"

"Orihime, please," Ichigo held a hand up, "every time you tell us what you have, it ruins our appetites."

"What?" Orihime looked perplexed, "It does?"

"Yes, now eat whatever nasty concoction you have there and don't let me see or smell it," Tatsuki said as she pulled out her own lunch. She looked up at Ichigo who seemed to be reading a note of some kind. And he didn't look very happy. "Ichigo? What's up?"

He looked up at her, "Oh, nothing really, I just have a note here from my dad."

"Well what does it say?" Orihime was genuinely interested as she placed her head in her hands to look at him.

Ichigo hesitated, "It just says that my older sister is coming home today." His voice sounded so distant, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was reading.

"Come on, Ichigo," Tatsuki punched him in the arm, "quit yanking our chains! We all know you don't have an older sister! What does it really say."

"Ow! Damn it Tatsuki, that hurt!" he frantically rubbed his arm to help dull the pain. "Read it for yourself!" he threw the note towards her and began eating the sandwich Yuzu had packed him.

Tatsuki looked over the words that were scribbled on the piece of paper. She read it about five times before looking up, "I didn't know you had an older sister."

Ichigo felt everyone's eyes on him as he put his sandwich down, "Yeah I do, ok? She's my half sister from my dad's previous marriage. We don't get to see her much."

Tatsuki rubbed the back of her neck, "I guess not. I've known you forever and I've never heard any mention of her. Do you hate her or something?"

Orihime gasped in shock, "Ichigo, you shouldn't hate your sister!"

"I don't hate her!" he shouted a little louder then he wanted to. Some of the other kids in the vicinity looked in his direction to see what the commotion was all about. "Hey, don't you all have better things to do then to eavesdrop?" he called out to them. The other kids quickly turned their attentions back to their lunches. Ichigo sighed, "I haven't even seen her since she went off to college. I don't really know enough about her to hate her." His tone suggested that he held his sister in low regards and Chad, of all people, picked up on it.

"Either way, you don't seem too pleased to hear that she's coming back," he mono toned.

Ichigo sighed again, "Like I said, I don't really know her, and she's been gone for six years. We've had no contact with her since she's been gone and now all of a sudden, she's coming 'home?' How hard is it to call? I mean, I'm sure my dad would have liked to have heard from her every once in a while." It was no secret his family had a special place in Ichigo's heart, but everyone else seemed a bit shocked to hear him talk about his long lost sister this way.

"So you're upset because you haven't had any contact with her?" Tatsuki asked, trying to figure out exactly what the deal was. She had known Ichigo for a long time and she liked to think she knew him pretty well, but this was completely unlike him.

"Sure," he shrugged, "wouldn't you be? I mean, how hard is it to pick up a phone? And she can't just say that she's 'been busy' either. No matter how busy I am I still manage to spend time with my family," he scowled and crossed his arms.

Orihime let curiosity get the better of her and now she was intrigued, "Where's she going to college?"

Ichigo scoffed, "Somewhere in America. I don't even know… all I know is that some big time college over there wanted her to be on their Mixed Martial Arts team and she practically jumped at the opportunity."

"That seems logical," Chad pointed out.

Ichigo's eyes widened, "It seems logical that she left her family to go do something in America, of all places, that she could do perfectly well here?!" He was starting to lose his cool so he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Besides, we've gotten along perfectly fine here without her."

Tatsuki crinkled her brow in worry. _"It seems like Ichigo is really angry. And I bet I know exactly why…"_ She cleared her throat, "So, how long ago did she leave?"

Ichigo got a sour look on his face, "Six years ago," he spat, "and she hasn't looked back ever since."

_"Aha," _Tatsuki thought to herself, _"She must've left right around the time Ichigo's mom died. Now it all makes sense…"_

Mizuiro, who had been silent through the entire conversation suddenly spoke up, "No matter how long it's been, Ichigo, you should keep an open mind. If she's coming back then that must mean that she misses you guys. After all, you're family and nothing will ever change that."

As much as Ichigo hated to admit it, Mizuiro was right. He took a big bite out of his sandwich and simply nodded. _"Fine,"_ he thought, _"I'll give her a chance, but the minute she bails, she's disowned."_


	2. You Mad, Bro? Yeah, You Mad

**AN: Ok, so I first began this story with Raiden being a guy, but I've changed my mind. Raiden is now a chick... sorry if I confused you, but it just didnt feel right with her being a guy. If that pisses you off, I'm sure you'll get over it :) and if not, feel free to let me know about it. I'm sure I'll take that into consideration... no really, i will. Promise. **

**Chapter 2: You Mad, Bro? Yeah, You Mad**

Somewhere between early morning and noon, daughter calls father:

_"Father, I have arrived. No sign of the agent or any of the targets"_

_"Understood. Did you have difficulties getting away?"_

_"Negative. I am on leave for an unspecified amount of time."_

_"I see." _The father exhales slowly, _"Let's hope it doesn't take long."_

_"Agreed. Are you alone?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then I must be on my way. We have much to discuss before the rest get home."_

* * *

When the final bell had rung, Ichigo had high tailed it out of school as quickly as he possibly could. He wanted to avoid talking to his friends about his sister and decided that if he wasn't around, they couldn't ask. He lazily walked home; wanting to delay their little "family reunion" as long as possible. He tried to think about the last time he saw his sister. The memories were fuzzy at best and he never really tried to remember before.

He remembered short, spiky black hair, like his father's, and silvery platinum-like eyes. He remembered that his sister was very physically fit, due to all the martial arts training she went through. Ichigo himself was pretty fit, but his sister was just a huge mass of muscle, for a girl. He could remember when he was little, his sister would pick him up by the collar of his shirt like he was a piece of paper. Truth be told, Ichigo was always a little jealous of his sister and how differently their father treated them. It always seemed like his sister was the favorite, and he never could figure out why.

Ichigo scowled, _"Maybe I'm just jealous… maybe that's why I don't like her."_ It was plausible, but then again, Ichigo was never the jealous type. Then again, there was nothing like sibling rivalry. He shook his head of the thoughts buzzing around. He glanced at his watch and exhaled heavily. He had succeeded in wasting an entire hour and a half, but it was time to get home before his father sent out a search party.

As soon as he turned the corner on his street, he heard yelling in the distance. He knew immediately that Yuzu and Karin were the source of said screaming and he rolled his eyes. They didn't have many memories of their oldest sibling, other then old pictures and the occasional birthday cards she sent from America, so why were they so happy to have her home again?

As he approached the house Yuzu called out to him, "Ichigo! Guess who's here?" He had to fight the urge to scowl and walk straight to his room. Yuzu was so happy to see her and Ichigo refused to rain on her parade. Karin was even smiling, much to everyone's surprise.

Then he saw her; she was a few inches shorter then Ichigo, but otherwise they were around the same size. She had broad shoulders that framed a muscular physique all the way down to her chiseled calves. She was wearing a black tank top, that showcased her impressive upper body, and baggy faded blue jeans. Ichigo rolled his eyes and shook his head, _"Does she know nothing about fashion?"_ Usually that sort of thing didn't bother him, but for some reason, it was a big deal at the moment.

His sister turned around when she heard him walk up. Ichigo noticed her jet black hair was now styled in a faux hawk and her eyes were a bright silver; just like they were the day she left. "Ichigo!" she called out with a smile. Before Ichigo could respond, however, he found himself in a great big bear hug. "It's been a long time, brother!"

"Ugh!" he was sure he felt his ribs cracking at the sheer strength of the "hug" he was receiving. "Put me down!" he growled. He was immediately released and nearly hurled at the disgusting smirk his sister flashed him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The smirk never faded, "Still a ray of sunshine, just like always," she reached out and ruffled Ichigo's hair.

He swatted the offending hand away, "Don't touch me," he growled.

"Ichigo!" he nearly jumped at the booming voice of his father behind him, "be nice to your sister! She just got back from a very long trip, after all."

Ichigo felt like arguing, but he knew it was futile. He just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms and said flatly, "Welcome back, Raiden."

"Now that's more like it," Raiden grinned.

"Ok, ok, give your sister some time to unpack," Isshin said as he grabbed his daughter's luggage. "You three go and wash up; tonight, we dine out!" he dramatically pointed to the sky. Yuzu and Karin cheered and ran inside. Ichigo, on the other hand, stared blankly at his father.

"So, where exactly is she going to stay?"

Isshin grabbed his chin, "Hmm, you know, I didn't even think about that." He turned towards Raiden, "I suppose we can convert one of the patient's rooms-"

"Nonsense," Raiden held her hand up. "I can stay with Ichigo," she reached over and put her brother in a headlock.

"WHAT?!" Ichigo screamed. "Oh no!"

"That's a great idea!" Isshin retreated into the house with Raiden's bags.

"What's the matter, Ichigo? Did you miss me so much that you're just in shock?" she tightened her grip around Ichigo's head.

"No!" he pried his sister's impossibly strong hands off of him and took a step back. "Honestly, I didn't even know you were gone." His intentions were to hurt her, but he knew he failed when that smirk was back.

"I missed this," she gestured between them. "And I missed your beautiful smiling face as well." Ichigo continued to glare at her. Suddenly the smirk was gone and Raiden became serious, "You're becoming a man now, Ichigo. Some day you'll understand why I had to leave. But I guess until then, you're gonna throw your tantrums. So have at it. I'll be waiting for when you're ready to grow up." With that, Raiden disappeared inside leaving Ichigo to pick his jaw up from the ground.

_"She always does this,"_ he thought to himself, _"she's laughing one minute then being all serious the next."_ The thought of having to share a room with that bitch made his skin crawl, but he didn't exactly have a choice in the matter.

* * *

Once they were alone in Ichigo's room, Raiden turned to Isshin and whispered, "Father, I still haven't found out who they're sending. By the feel of things, it won't be anyone high up the chain of command."

Isshin rubbed his chin, "No, they wouldn't bother any of the higher personnel with this task." He looked up and locked eyes with his daughter, "Whoever they send though; I feel sorry for them."

Raiden nodded, "So do I. They'll have no idea what they're really walking into."

"You remember the story?"

She nodded, "Yes. They won't find out, father, I promise."

"Good," Isshin placed Raiden's bag down on Ichigo's bed and stared out the window, "while you're here, I'll need you to watch over Ichigo. I have a feeling that it won't be long now."

"Understood," Raiden nodded slightly. "He's strong; I can already feel it."

"Make sure he progresses at a steady rate," Isshin glanced at her sideways, "we don't need a repeat of what happened with you."

"Understood," she repeated.

"And under no circumstance is he to know about me being a-"

Raiden held up a hand, "Dad," she smirked, "I know."

Isshin smiled and embraced his eldest daughter, "It's so good to have you back!" he whispered. He broke the hug, "And let me tell you how proud I am that you graduated first in your class at the Academy! And in three years, no less, my little prodigy!" he ruffled Raiden's hair.

"Hey, now! Cut it out," Raiden cried as she fixed her hair. She smirked, "Thanks, pops."

"Hey!" Isshin pointed at her, "Don't call me that! It makes me feel old!"

Raiden laughed, "Well you ARE!"

They shared a good, hearty laugh and Isshin patted her on the back, "And how has Kisuke been treating you?"

Raiden became quiet all of a sudden, "Good. But that last recon mission he sent me on got a little rough."

Isshin's smile faded immediately, "Were you discovered?"

"No need to worry, I made it out in one piece."

Isshin breathed a sigh of relief, "You're gonna give your old man a heart attack. How long did the last mission take? I didn't hear from you for a few weeks."

Raiden crossed her arms and leaned back on Ichigo's desk, "I left Kisuke's over a month ago, but it wasn't like I went unprepared. He spent months training me for this mission. It wasn't easy," she shook her head. "He's one sadistic bastard," she chuckled.

Isshin's face was blank, "And what about _her_?"

Raiden smiled, "She also made it out in one piece."

"That's not what I meant," Isshin frowned.

She sighed, "I know you didn't exactly approve-"

"It's not that I didn't approve," Isshin moved towards the door and glanced sideways at her, "It's just that I knew this was gonna happen. You're a sensitive girl, whether you want to admit it or not, and she likes to take advantage. It was never meant to work." Isshin left the room and Raiden's smile grew wider.

"I know, but what a wild ride it was," she said to no one as she stared out the window before getting lost in her memories.

* * *

The Kurosaki family had just placed their orders with the waitress and Isshin was busy sticking straws up his nose to make Yuzu giggle. Ichigo rolled his eyes and wished he were somewhere else; anywhere else. Karin slapped her father's arm as he tried to "attack" her with his tusks.

"Anyways," he said after removing the straws from his nose, "tell us about your time in America, Raiden."

"Yes, I want to know all about it!" Yuzu squealed.

Raiden smiled warmly at her sister, "Well it was quite a trip. School was tough, but I made it out ok. And the MMA fights were amazing! You'd think Americans wouldn't be all that skilled in martial arts, but let me tell you, they're very good!"

"How many matches did you win?" Yuzu asked. Ichigo noticed the way she looked at Raiden like she was some sort of celebrity. It made him sick.

"Well, I don't like to brag or anything…" she coughed "undefeated" and coughed again.

"That's my girl!" Isshin beamed.

"Ichigo, how come you never got into MMA?" Raiden asked as she took a sip of her water.

"Oh he wasn't any good at it," Karin jabbed.

Ichigo's eye twitched, "What? I'm better then you!"

"Doubt it," Karin deadpanned, "any time you wanna fight, you know where to find me." The family, save for Ichigo, erupted in laughter.

"Do you miss America?" Yuzu asked as the laughter had died down.

Raiden pursed her lips in thought, "Not really. Not as much as I missed being here, that's for sure."

"Right," Ichigo huffed.

Raiden looked at him, but ignored him, "I'm sorry I couldn't come and visit. I had practice twice a day nearly every day. And then I had my school work on top of that."

Ichigo snorted loudly, "So busy."

Raiden was starting to get agitated, "You got a problem or something?"

Ichigo looked her in the eye, "Yeah I got a problem. You leave for six years and we don't hear a word from you except birthday cards? You just left! And now, all of a sudden, here you are! And I'm just supposed to put my life on hold while the all mighty Raiden blesses me with her presence? I've had it!" Ichigo stomped off and disappeared through the front door of the restaurant.

Raiden looked sheepishly around at the other patrons in the restaurant and waved to them, who were, not surprisingly, staring. Isshin stood up, "What is wrong with that boy?"

"No, dad, let me," Raiden excused herself from the table and went after her brother. She found him standing outside in the alley with his back to the wall.

"Leave me alone," he spat. Before he knew it, Raiden had moved impossibly fast and had him by the throat as she pressed him into the wall.

"Listen here, you little ass clown," she said through gritted teeth. Ichigo gulped, "I don't expect you to accept the fact that I'm back, hell, I don't even expect you to be _happy_ about it. But don't you ever," she put more pressure on Ichigo's throat, causing him to cough, "EVER insinuate that I don't care about my family. If it were up to me, I would've been here."

Ichigo desperately tried to pry Raiden's hand from his throat, "Like you didn't have a choice!"

Raiden's eyes widened and she let go of Ichigo, "You're wrong. I didn't have a choice. And when the time comes for you to understand, you're gonna feel like an ass."

"Then help me to try to understand!" Ichigo balled his hands into fists.

"I can't!" Raiden screamed back. "I wish to hell I could tell you everything," she paused and drew in a sharp breath. "But I can't," she said quietly. "In time, Ichigo, but not right now." She turned to walk away but stopped, "For now, we could at least _try_ to get along. For dad, Karin, and Yuzu's sake." Ichigo huffed, but nodded all the same. "Good, now let's get back inside and try to have a good time. I really have missed you."

The two of them went back inside only to find that their meals had already come. They sat down and happily ate while listening to Isshin talk about his day in the clinic.

After about a half hour or so they were stuffed and waiting for the bill. Karin was telling a story about how her soccer team is going to win first place this year. Suddenly, Raiden stiffened and locked eyes with Isshin. No words were exchanged, but they were both thinking the same thing. Isshin nodded slightly and Raiden stood up, "Well, this has been a lovely evening," she smiled at her sisters, "but I really must get back home and hit the sack. I'm still running on American time!"

"Oh no!" Yuzu whined, "You should go and get some rest!" Raiden's smile widened as she said her goodbyes. She quickly exited the restaurant and was gone in a flash.


	3. The Worst Burglar Ever

**Chapter 3: The Worst Burglar Ever**

Somewhere between the restaurant and getting home, daughter calls father:

_"I've identified the agent."_

_"Who is it?"_

_"Rukia Kuchiki."_

Isshin groaned, _"Damn it! It's much worse then I expected!" _After a brief pause he continued, _"You know what to do. It happens tonight."_

_"Yes. And don't worry, I've got it all under control."_

_"Be careful."_

_"Always."_

* * *

A dark figure perches itself atop a telephone pole. She listens intently as she searches for the slightest spike in spiritual pressure. She's all alone and nervous; it's her first solo mission and she doesn't wanna mess it up. She has to live up to the name, after all. She hears a faint roar somewhere in the distance and frantically tries to pin point the location. Something isn't right; she feels a tremendous amount of spiritual pressure coming from one area, but the screech she heard was in the opposite direction.

She cocks her head to the side when she faintly recognizes one of the spirit energies she's reading. Her eyes widen and she gasps, "Impossible." She briefly wonders why on earth she was needed to patrol this city when it was abundantly clear that many capable personnel were in the area. No, something surely didn't add up here. But she had her orders, and she was compelled to carry them out, whatever the cost. She bent her knees and kicked off the pole and flew through the night, intent on slaying the beast that threatened this city.

* * *

It was getting late and Ichigo had decided to go to bed a bit earlier then normal. It wasn't that he was tired, he was just sick of hearing his dad talk about how great it was that Raiden was back. _"Seriously, you'd think he didn't have any other children the way he went on and on!" _He opened the door to his room and his jaw dropped. "What's this?" he demanded.

Raiden, who was dressed in only a pair of pajama pants and a black sports bra, was doing pull ups on a bar on Ichigo's brand new bunk bed. "What?" she grunted.

"Bunk beds?!" Ichigo ran his hands down the sides of his head in shame, "What are my friends going to say?"

"Calm down," Raiden stopped and turned to face him. "I could put my bed over there," she pointed to the far side of the room, "but then we wouldn't have any room. So this was a more logical choice."

Ichigo pouted for a few moments, "Ugh, I guess," he reluctantly agreed. He took off his shirt and went to go throw it in its usual spot, only to see Raiden's bag where his laundry basket usually sat. "What the hell?" He spun around and angrily glared at his sister, "You can't just come in here and move everything around!"

"Dude, Ichigo, chill the fuck out, man! Your laundry basket is under the desk." She was well aware that her brother was fuming, but either she found it amusing or she just didn't care. Raiden pulled herself up to the top bunk and settled down as Ichigo changed and crawled into the bottom bed. They both lay on their backs and looked upward, unaware of what the other was thinking. Finally, after a few moments, Raiden spoke softly, "Why are you so angry with me, Ichigo? We were so close growing up."

Ichigo didn't answer right away. He turned on his side and stared at the wall for a few moments, contemplating if he wanted to get into this discussion right now. "Six years," his voice was almost hoarse when he spoke. "You were gone for six years. You just left, without warning, right when…" he trailed off and screwed his eyes shut. The memory was painful and he wanted so badly to forget it.

Raiden felt her heart break into two, "I'm sorry, Ichigo. I know that was a very hard time for you." Ichigo felt the whole bed shake and suddenly Raiden came into view as she leaned over the top bunk. "I also know you blame yourself for what happened… and I probably would too if I were you, but you have to understand that there was nothing you could've done." Ichigo looked up into his sister's silver irises which seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"It's so easy to say that."

"I know," Raiden bowed her head, "But Ichigo, like I said earlier, I had a _very_ good reason for going, and someday you'll understand-"

Ichigo punched the top bunk, "I know!" he growled and closed his eyes to keep himself from shedding any tears. "I know you had to go to school, I get it! I understand why you had to do it even! I just…"

"Felt abandoned," Raiden finished for him. Ichigo nodded and opened his eyes. He felt ashamed, vulnerable even, but at least it was in front of his sister. "I don't blame you, Ichigo. We were very close when we were growing up, even though I only saw you every other week." Raiden lied back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She had spent most of her life in a whole other place with her mother, whom Ichigo had never met. It was hard for the boy to understand why she could only visit once every two weeks. Even to this day, he didn't fully understand. "I promise you, you'll get an explanation soon. I know there are a lot of questions you have about my childhood and all that, but soon."

Ichigo was used to this; it was his father's favorite thing to do. He would say _"When you're older I'll tell you," _or _"I'll explain soon enough."_ He had gotten so used to putting it out of mind to keep himself from guessing and creating absurd scenarios in his head. The suspense used to kill him, but he eventually got over it. But the mystery surrounding Raiden's life had always been there, and it just felt _normal_ to not know about it. In fact, he never really gave it much thought. And since no one outside of their family knew Raiden existed, it prevented people from asking him the questions he never thought to ask himself. But the more they talked about it, the more Ichigo wanted to know.

"Alright," he answered.

"So we cool?" Raiden waited with anticipation.

Ichigo pondered it briefly before confirming, "Yeah, we're cool." Raiden smiled. Her brother had never been a man of many words, but he would always tell you everything he was feeling; all you had to do was know where to look. She knew it was a temporary fix, however, and that they would have to rebuild their relationship over an extended period of time, but if she had anything, it certainly was time.

The two of them were about to go to sleep when Raiden suddenly sat up and looked at the far wall. Ichigo was about to complain that she was moving the bed when he saw a strange woman walk right into his room through the wall! He was in shock and all he could do was ask, "Who… are you?" The woman ignored his comments and looked right up at Raiden who's eyes widened in shock. The woman reached for her sword and Ichigo lost it, "Who the hell are you?! What do you want?" The woman jumped down to the ground and turned towards the bed. Raiden caught her glance and shook her head slowly. She silently prayed that she had received the message.

"I feel it," was all she said.

Raiden was about to answer her when Ichigo came out of nowhere with a kick to the girl's lower back, "If you think you're a burglar, you're not a very good one. For starters you shouldn't talk to yourself!"

The girl looked up at him in disbelief, "You… kicked me. But I can't be seen by ordinary humans." She looked up at Raiden for an explanation, but she simply shook her head slightly. She looked back at Ichigo, "Are you telling me you can see me?"

"Well, considering that was my foot that I planted on your ass, you tell me!"

Raiden jumped off her bed and pulled Ichigo back a bit while the intruder looked her brother over closely. She reached up and grabbed his chin, turning his head side to side, "You look normal, but you must be defective in some way to be able to see me."

Ichigo growled, "I'll show you defective!" he said as he raised his leg to kick her again. This time, though, she was ready and jumped up to dodge the kick by stepping on his head. He fell to the ground and turned back to glare at her, "Who are you?"

She briefly glanced at Raiden, confusion evident on her features, "You want to know?" She looked back at Ichigo who was still on the ground, "Then I'll tell you. I'm a Soul Reaper."

* * *

Ichigo was sitting down in the center of his room. Raiden was leaning on the bed frame, and the intruder was standing in front of them. Raiden hadn't taken her eyes off of the woman and Ichigo thought it was strange that she hadn't spoken a single word since she had shown up. "That's a pretty incredible story," he started, "but I don't believe a word of it."

"Yeah," Raiden drawled suspiciously, "I find it hard to believe as well."

"But how?" the girl asked. "You both admitted to being able to see spirits, and you can't deny that I'm standing right in front of you."

"I'll agree that you're not human," Ichigo said as he stood up. "So why don't you just go and play your little Soul Reaper game somewhere else, you little brat." He reached out and ruffled the girl's hair. Raiden inhaled sharply and contorted her face into a look of pain as she turned her head; she knew what was coming next.

"I'm a brat, am I?" the girl said through clenched teeth. Suddenly she held her finger up to Ichigo, "Bakudo, number one, sh-"

"Hey!" Raiden tried to step in, but it was too late. Ichigo had doubled over in pain and he couldn't move. Raiden turned on the girl, "What the hell did you do to him?" In an instant, she too was incapacitated with the same spell while the intruder smiled down to both of them.

"I've paralyzed you," she smirked, "I used Kido on you. It's a high level incantation only we Soul Reapers can cast. And don't bother struggling against it, you're just wasting your energy. I may appear young to you, but I have lived more then ten of your lifetimes, and I would kill you on the spot if it were not against my orders. So you, little brat, be grateful!" She took out her sword and Ichigo panicked.

"Wait! Don't!" he screwed his eyes shut and turned his head away. After a few seconds, however, he looked back at her. She had placed the handle of her sword onto the forehead of a spirit that had been hanging around the Kurosaki household for the past few days. "Wait, that's the ghost from-"

Raiden nudged him with her head, "He's glowing," she pointed out. Ichigo nodded; sure enough, the spirit was glowing a bright blue-ish white before disappearing.

"Where did he go? What did you do to him?" Ichigo asked.

The woman sheathed her sword, "I sent his soul to the Soul Society. It's one of the main responsibilities of a Soul Reaper." She then went on to explain that the reason she was there was to find and exercise creatures called Hollows, which were evil spirits. Ichigo was much more receptive this time around and it made Raiden wonder if he had ever seen such a creature. Most humans, whether they could see them or not, could not comprehend what a Hollow was or what it was doing.

Suddenly a loud roar ripped through the night sky. Raiden was about to warn the Soul Reaper about it, but Ichigo beat her to it, "What was that?"

"I know that a Hollow is somewhere in the area," she continued.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go and kill it already," Ichigo demanded.

She bowed her head, "I would but I can't seem to detect its location. Usually I have no problem sensing such a thing, but here…" she looked up and locked gazes with Raiden, "It's like something is jamming my senses." Raiden looked away in shame; the jamming was all her doing and the woman knew it.

"Are you telling me you can't hear that thing? It's howling awfully loud! That's gotta be a Hollow!" Ichigo called out.

"Something howling?" she asked. Then she heard it. An ear splitting screech, and it sounded close by. "That's definitely a Hollow," she grabbed for her sword and headed for the door when another scream was heard.

"That's Yuzu!" Raiden cried. The Soul Reaper leapt into action and descended the stairs quickly. Ichigo and Raiden struggled against their bindings when they saw Yuzu stagger in front of the door.

"Ichigo! Karin's been… you've gotta save her!" Yuzu passed out and the two siblings got to their feet as quickly as they could while still under the powerful paralysis spell. They made it down the stairs, all the while hearing Karin screaming in pain, but it drove them onward.

"Come on, Ichigo!" Raiden said over her shoulder, "We have to break free!" Ichigo watched as his sister struggled against her invisible bindings. He began to mimic her actions. After a lot of exertion, both of them were free from the spell and Ichigo ran forth.

"Don't be an idiot!" the Soul Reaper called out to him, but he ignored her. He grabbed a chair and ran straight for the creature that was holding his sister. He took a big swing at the monster, but it was too fast. It swatted him away like he was nothing but a fly buzzing around. The Hollow came around for another attack and Ichigo barely dodged it. The Hollow let out another ear splitting scream and Ichigo looked up to see that the Soul Reaper had succeeded in cutting a huge slice into it's arm.

The Hollow released Karin from his grasp and Raiden quickly ran to her, catching her before she hit the ground. Surprisingly, the Hollow had disappeared right into thin air and the Soul Reaper had explained that it had left before devouring either of their sisters' souls. She also explained that it had been looking for a specific soul to eat, which didn't exactly sit well with the siblings. Raiden knew which soul she meant, and by the look on Ichigo's face, he knew as well. She went on to explain that Ichigo had bottled up spirit energy that had recently started pouring out when he made contact with a ghost a few days prior. Ichigo looked like he was gonna be sick.

"Those things… want me?" he asked in disbelief. Before anyone could answer him, however, the Hollow had come back and was hungry for vengeance.

"It's back!" the Soul Reaper screamed, "Get out of here!"

"No," Ichigo refused and walked up to her, "This thing attacked my family and it's all my fault?" Never before had he felt so responsible; so _helpless!_

"Don't be stupid, Ichigo!" Raiden called out to him, but it was too late. Ichigo ran out and stood up to the hollow.

"It's my soul you want, huh? Well come and get it! Fight me one-on-one!" The Hollow lunged right at him and he was frozen in terror. He commanded his legs to move, but his body just wouldn't respond. He saw a bright flash of light and braced for impact, but it never came. When the light had faded, he gasped when he saw that the Soul Reaper had stepped in the way and taken the attack in his place. She had managed to cut the Hollow's face, which caused it to howl in pain, but she collapsed to the ground. "Soul Reaper!"

"Shit!" Raiden carefully set down Karin and ran to the Soul Reaper's side.

"You are an idiot," she said weakly, "Did you really think everything would be ok once you had given him your soul? One soul doesn't satisfy them for long!" The Hollow continued to screech in pain and the Soul Reaper crawled to the side and rested her back to the wall. "I'm too injured to fight. Do you want to save your family?" she looked up at Ichigo who nodded fiercely. She held out her sword to him, "It will only be temporary, but you must become a Soul Reaper."

Raiden's eyes widened in horror, "No!" she lunged for her brother, but it was too late. The Soul Reaper had already thrust her sword into Ichigo.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki," she whispered to him.

"And my name is, Ichigo Kurosaki!" suddenly a bright flash of blue enveloped them all and the Hollow stopped dead in its tracks. In an instant, one of its giant arms had been cut off and when the light subsided, there was Ichigo, in full Soul Reaper uniform, with the biggest Zanpackuto Rukia had ever seen.

"How could this have happened?" she asked aloud, "I only meant to give him half of my power, but somehow he has taken nearly all of it!"

Raiden ran to her side and grabbed her shoulders, "What the hell did you do, Rukia?!"

"This ends now!" Ichigo yelled out before charging the Hollow again.

"What kind of being is he?" Rukia asked Raiden.

Raiden hung her head, "He's my brother," was all she said. Rukia nodded and seemed to understand. Suddenly all the questions she had in her head had all been answered. They watched together as Ichigo made quick work of the Hollow.

* * *

After the commotion had died down, Ichigo had passed out immediately from exhaustion. Raiden had picked him up, as well as Yuzu and Karin and put them back to bed safely. She walked back outside to where Rukia was still sitting and took a seat next to her. She exhaled slowly, "What the hell did you do?" she spoke as if he were talking to a sister or a best friend.

Rukia looked up at her incredulously, "I had no choice!" she argued.

Raiden gaped at her, "Do you really think I would've let that damn thing eat my sister? I would've stepped in!"

"Really?" she asked in disbelief, "And risk exposing yourself? I highly doubt that!" she crossed her arms.

Raiden jabbed a finger in her chest, "You think I'm afraid to expose myself? I'll fucking do it now!"

The Soul Reaper seemed unfazed by her threat, "Yeah, I do think you're afraid! Otherwise you would've told your family!" she reached out and punched her in the shoulder.

She shook her head, "They can't know," she all but whispered.

Rukia picked up on her somber tone and her expression softened, "Why? What would be so bad about it?"

"I made a promise to my-" she hesitated; she wasn't sure if Rukia was aware of her father's secret or not. "I just made a promise." She gazed into Rukia big blue eyes, silently pleading her not to question her any further about it. "Either way, we have to keep a close eye on Ichigo from here on out."

She nodded, "Agreed."

"And I guess I have to keep an eye on you, too," she glanced at her friend sideways as she leaned her head back on the wall behind her.

"Hey!" she angrily called out, "I can take care of myself just fine!"

Raiden smirked, "Yeah, when you have your powers, but you don't have those anymore, do you?"

Rukia crossed her arms and huffed, "I can get by just fine, thank you!"

Suddenly Raiden became serious, "Anyway, you're going to need to remain close. Whether you like it or not, you're going to be his guide. So, you have two options: stay with Urahara in my old room, or stay here with us."

After a few moments, they looked at each other and said in unison, "Stay here."

They laughed and Raiden draped an arm over Rukia's shoulders. "So what did you do to get such a boring mission anyway? Who the hell did you piss off?"

She felt Rukia tense up, "No one. This is my first solo mission! They obviously thought I was well equipped to handle the situation so they sent me alone!"

Raiden snickered, "Calm down, Kuchiki, I'm just yanking your chain." She pulled Rukia closer into her and smiled when the smaller girl rested her head against her shoulder as they looked up at the stars. Raiden had known the woman for years, but keeping up the charade that they didn't know one another was going to be difficult. "Rukia, you need to keep pretending that you don't know me," she finally said to her.

"I sort of picked up on that," she jabbed Raiden lightly in the ribs. "So, you're finally done working for Urahara?"

"Not exactly," she answered. "I could feel my brother's spiritual pressure slowly releasing when I had returned from my last mission. I figured it was time to come back home to keep tabs on him, so I packed my bags and came back."

"Probably for the best," Rukia had never really liked the eccentric shop keeper and part of her was glad that Raiden was done working for him, even if for only a little bit.

Raiden looked up at to her brother's window, "This is all new to Ichigo… and we need to be there for him."

Rukia pulled her robe tighter to keep the biting chill away form her skin, "He's just like you," she pointed out. "Are we going to have another 'incident' on our hands?"

Raiden shook her head, "Not if I can help it." She remembered what it was like when she had first discovered her powers. It was a truly horrifying experience that nearly killed her. But, thirty to forty seasoned Soul Reapers later, she had managed to get herself back under control. She sighed at the memory, "But we're still going to have to be cautious. He's… unstable, at the moment." Rukia nodded. "So, how much trouble are you going to be in?"

"Hard to say. For transferring my powers? Maybe they'll only demote me…"

"For coming into contact with me?" she whispered, afraid of the answer.

Rukia closed her eyes, "Execution, most likely."


	4. My Very Own Watchdog

**Chapter 4: My Very Own Watch Dog**

Somewhere between late morning and early evening, daughter calls father:

_"It seems we have a Quincy among us."_

_"So that's what I felt earlier."_

_"He and Ichigo are currently engaged in battle."_

_"And how are the powers he received from Ms. Kuchiki?"_

_"Still unstable. He has no idea how to use them and his spirit energy is leaking out at an alarming rate. If I could just train him-"_

_"No. It's not time yet. Ichigo must learn this on his own."_

Raiden gasped, _"But something's coming, don't you feel it?"_

_"Yes. Fortunately for us, there are other people in the area that are capable of handling the situation. There is no need to get involved."_

* * *

Raiden hung up her phone and continued to watch the spectacle before her. She was currently standing on the roof of the highest building in town, while her brother and the Quincy competed in a little contest to see who could kill the most Hollows. She personally thought it to be a childish game, but on the other hand Ichigo never could turn down a challenge and it might prove quite useful in his training.

Ichigo had impressed her with how far he had come in such little time. Although his power was still a bit unstable, Ichigo and Rukia had managed to keep Karakura Town relatively safe. Sure Raiden had to step in once in a while and take down the particularly nasty Hollows, but Rukia had done a great job of keeping Ichigo out of the way. She had told her friend that keeping her identity a secret was priority number one. While Rukia continued to train Ichigo to use his power, Raiden was gathering intel on the movements of the Soul Society. Ever since she and Rukia had discussed possible punishments for her simply coming into contact with her, she feared for her friend's life every day.

She knew they would eventually send some agents of their own to apprehend the rogue Soul Reaper. She had insisted on Rukia sleeping in her and Ichigo's closet to keep her safe. Luckily, Rukia hadn't argued. If anyone knew how the Soul Society handled rogue officers, it was Raiden. She knew their habits, their strategies, and their movements better then most of their own soldiers did. She had to; her survival had depended on it. But now, an even more important life depended on her knowledge and she swore to protect her friend.

Raiden glanced at Ichigo who was just finishing a battle with a beetle-looking Hollow. "Sixteen, not bad."

"No, but he's going to run out of energy soon," came a low voice behind him.

"Yoruichi," Raiden said without turning around. "You're right, just like always," she grinned to herself.

"At least you haven't forgotten." Raiden felt a little pressure on one of her shoulders and looked to see a black cat had jumped up on her.

"What did I tell you when we first met? I have a mind like a steel trap!" The cat rolled its eyes.

"Do you feel it?" it asked in a serious tone.

She became serious all of a sudden, "Yeah, for a while now. This is not gonna be pretty."

"Will you jump in?" Yoruichi knew her better then anyone else did. She knew she would risk her freedom, her _life_, if it meant protecting the innocent. It's what made her an exceptional Soul Reaper and a great woman.

Raiden nodded, "If I have to." There was silence between them for a few moments. Raiden contemplated Ichigo's chances against the storm that was currently brewing.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Yoruichi finally stated.

Raiden glanced sideways at the feline and smiled wide, "Careful, Yoruichi, I might start to get the impression that you care about me." She felt a rough, wet tongue glide up her cheek.

"Who said I ever stopped?"

Her smile never faded, "It was pretty clear when you broke up with me."

Yoruichi sank her claws into her shoulder and appeared to be downcast, "Because you deserve better," she breathed into her ear.

The smile was gone now and she looked Yoruichi in the eyes, "Only I can be the judge of th-" Before she could finish, however, a tremendous amount of spiritual pressure rained down on them. She turned her attention up to the sky to see hundreds, if not _thousands_, of Hollows gathering above the entire town. "Fuck," she muttered as she quickly leaped down from the building, with Yoruichi hanging on for dear life.

She hit the ground running and reached for her Zanpakuto. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized that she didn't have it. She looked all around her frantically and noticed that Yoruichi was also missing. Then she saw it; a Menos Grande had begun to rip through the sky and was making its way towards Ichigo. "FUCK!" she yelled as she looked back up to the building she was just on. "_I must've left my Zanpakuto up there!"_

"Looking for this?" she turned to see Yoruichi, now transformed, and completely naked, holding her sword with one finger. She dangled it in front of her like candy in front of a child.

"Come on, Yoruichi, this isn't a game! Ichigo can't take down a fucking Menos by himself!" Right now was a _hell_ of a time for Yoruichi to be pulling her usual bullshit!

"Who said he's by himself?" she pointed behind Raiden and she followed her gaze. Ichigo and the Quincy were standing back to back surrounded by Hollows. Raiden felt a warm hand on her shoulder as Yoruichi leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I can't let you interfere, Raiden, I'm sorry."

Raiden turned to face her, "Like you could stop me," she growled.

Yoruichi frowned, "You know the minute you use this thing," she held up her Zanpakuto, "the Soul Reapers would be here in a flash."

"Let them come!" she challenged.

"And what do you think would happen to Ichigo if they came? And Rukia?" Raiden's shoulders slumped and she sighed in defeat.

"You're right, just like always."

Yoruichi smiled warmly, "Do _you_ remember what _I_ told you when we first met?" She cupped Raiden's cheek, "You need to think before you act. Then again," she glanced at Ichigo who was foolishly charging the Menos head on, "I see it runs in the family."

* * *

Rukia watched in horror as the Menos drew closer to Ichigo. Kisuke Urahara had shown up and placed a binding spell on her, rendering her completely useless. She looked all around for Raiden, _"She has to be around here somewhere!_ _If Urahara isn't going to step in…"_A flash of red surrounded the battle field and she gasped when she saw it. "Cero," her voice sounded so far away. Suddenly, cold realization hit her, "That thing intends to fire a Cero here?" In all her years as a Soul Reaper, Rukia had never seen a Menos in person. She had always heard that their power was great, but to be sitting in front of one was completely unreal. It radiated power, and if it were under any other circumstance, she would have been in awe. "Run, Ichigo!" she screamed. But, as expected, Ichigo had grabbed his sword and charged the beast again.

The Menos charged its Cero and fired it directly at Ichigo, who barely managed to block it, sending remnants of the attack all around him. He was visibly struggling with holding the attack back and Urahara looked over his shoulder at Rukia, "Wait for it…" It happened so fast, and most would say that it would have been impossible, but Ichigo had launched an attack of his own as blue spirit energy sliced up the Menos' side. A burst of wind blew out in all directions, causing everyone in the vicinity to look at the beast as it screeched in pain before it retreated back through the sky rift.

"It's leaving," Rukia said in disbelief.

Kisuke chuckled, "I told you Ichigo could handle it." Rukia heard footsteps rapidly approaching and turned only to see Raiden and a black cat run up to them.

"Kisuke," she breathed, "you knew this would happen?" Urahara had never ceased to amaze her with his seemingly infinite knowledge, but this situation had involved her family and to say she wasn't happy was an understatement.

And, as usual, Kisuke dismissed her inquiry, "Not exactly, but I knew he could handle it."

"And the 'watch dog?'" she pointed at Yoruichi, who just purred loudly.

Kisuke smirked, "A necessary precaution. I couldn't risk you being exposed. You'll forgive me, you always do," he waved a hand in Raiden's direction. "You have to be more mindful, and until you learn to behave tactfully, consider yourself under constant 'Yoruichi Patrol.'"

Raiden scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Why does everyone think she can take me?"

"Because I can," the cat answered matter-of-factly.

Before Raiden could retaliate, Kisuke pointed a finger at Ichigo and Uryuu, "We'd better help those two before they sustain any serious injuries."

* * *

Raiden carried Ichigo home and placed him in his bed. Rukia was on her heels and Raiden noticed that she was strangely silent, "What's wrong?" she asked her.

"Nothing," she lied.

Raiden turned to face her and saw a glint of sadness in her eyes. She grabbed her by the wrist and led her out of their room, "Don't lie to me, it's an insult to my abilities and to our friendship. Come on, Rukia, I know you better then this." Rukia was her best friend and she didn't have to rely on her unique talents to see that she was lying to her.

"Really, it's fine," she insisted and turned to walk away, but her friend still had a firm grip on her wrist. She whimpered and looked up into her eyes; seeing her reflection in those big silver irises.

"I'll leave," she simply stated. When Rukia didn't answer, she clarified, "I'll leave, so when they get here, they won't know you ever saw me."

"No," she forcefully pulled her wrist from her grasp, "Ichigo needs you to be here for him. Once I'm gone, he'll have no one to-"

"Not exactly true," came a voice from behind them. They both turned to see Yoruichi, in her human form and fully clothed, much to Rukia's relief, leaning against the hallway with her arms crossed and head bowed.

"Lady Yoruichi," Rukia bowed to the former Princess.

"That won't be necessary," she told the smaller woman, with a hint of agitation. "And don't worry, Ichigo has a pretty strong support system." Yoruichi met Rukia's gaze, "And so do you. Don't think for one moment that we'll let them harm you in any way."

Rukia smiled sheepishly and bowed again, "Thank you, but I don't think they'll do anything drastic."

Yoruichi eyed the girl carefully, "Oh, you don't think so? You have been in the World of the Living for over a month now. You transferred your powers to a human, and you've been openly associating with the Soul Society's top most wanted criminals."

"Which is why I'm leaving," Raiden pointed out.

"It won't matter if you leave or not," Yoruichi pushed herself off the wall, "They already know. Besides, they know in order for Rukia to have survived here for so long, that she had to have come in contact with Kisuke. Not to mention your little Mod Soul friend," she gestured towards Yuzu and Karin's room where Kon usually slept. Yoruichi placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder, "You have quite the list of crimes going here."

Rukia hung her head. Raiden balled her hands into fists at her side, "I'll fight whoever they send. They won't touch her!"

Yoruichi smirked, "There you go with that hot headed temper of yours," she said playfully. She turned back to Rukia and her smirk faded, "For someone who has completed this amount of serious crimes, they'll likely send a Captain, and they won't be alone."

Raiden sighed, "At my current level, I could probably take a Lieutenant, but not a Captain; not by myself anyway." She looked up at Yoruichi, "I guess it's time to start training in the basement." The golden eyed beauty nodded, but Rukia felt lost.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"Nothing. Don't worry, Rukia, everything's gonna be ok." Rukia was scared, but Yoruichi had a way with words that soothed every fear you could possibly ever have. If the former Princess said not to worry, then surely there was nothing to worry about… right? Despite the current situation, Rukia yawned and decided to call it a night. She told Raiden that she would see her in the morning and she bid farewell to Yoruichi before disappearing into Ichigo's room.

Yoruichi and Raiden made their way outside and sat on the front step. The moon was shining brightly over Karakura Town and it accentuated the Princess' features. Raiden would be lying if she said she didn't miss the days when they were a couple. Yoruichi was so charismatic and she always felt on top of the world just by being in her presence. It was something she had never experienced with anyone else before. A part of her wanted her back, albeit a _small_ part, but a part nonetheless. It was unfortunate a situation like this was upon them. She was scared; something she didn't like to admit to anyone, but Yoruichi knew her well enough to detect it. "So, how much do you know?" her voice was dangerously serious as she hugged her knees to her chest.

Yoruichi sighed, "It all depends on who they send. It's hard to say if they'll come after you and Kisuke as well." She definitely knew her. Although Raiden was fearful for Rukia's life over everything else, she was also concerned as to what would happen to her. She had been on the run from the Soul Society for the last three years. She knew there were agents out there searching for her every day, but she had outsmarted them. Her survival depended on her being nearly invisible, but if Rukia was in danger, she would gladly sacrifice herself. With luck, she'd be a big enough distraction to draw their attention, allowing Rukia to escape.

"And Ichigo?"

Yoruichi exhaled slowly as she thought about it, "He may be in danger, but they won't hurt him if they can't find him."

Raiden crinkled her brow, "You mean he should run away," it was a statement, not a question.

"Not exactly, but he shouldn't be anywhere near Rukia when they come. If she gives herself up peacefully, they wouldn't dare hurt her. She's a Kuchiki after all," Yoruichi flashed her a comforting smile and reached out to squeeze her hand. Raiden wanted to believe her, but only time would tell. There was no point in worrying over something that hadn't happened yet.


	5. Guilt Is A Great Motivator

**AN: A big thank you to those of you who added this story to their favorites/follows! It makes my day :) And of course, a BIG shout out to those of you were kind enough to leave a review! You guys are the best :) I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Guilt Is A Great Motivator**

Somewhere between being awake and being asleep, brother frantically wakes sister:

_"Hey! Wake up! Rukia's gone!"_

Raiden lazily pushed at her brother and rolled over.

_"Damn it WAKE UP!" _he ripped the blankets back.

_"What?"_ Raiden asked sleepily.

_"Rukia's gone!"_ Ichigo repeated.

_"What do you mean, gone?"_ she tried to get up too fast and knocked her head on the ceiling.

_"All that's left is a note."_

* * *

They were walking down the street as the cool summer night wrapped them in a mild chill. Ichigo was donning his Soul Reaper uniform and Raiden had refused to change out of her pajamas, which consisted of nothing but black shorts and a black sports bra. "Would it have killed you to put on some clothes?" Ichigo said flatly, but glad she had left the house wearing anything at all. Sometimes his sister was a little too… _free spirited_.

"Hey, I'm comfortable," she retorted as she checked down one of the alleyways. "You can't sense her at all?"

"No," Ichigo shook his head, "it's like she completely disappeared."

_"Have they come for her already?"_ Raiden wondered. "I wouldn't worry too much, Ichigo, Rukia seems more then capable of taking care of herself." On the surface she seemed calm and collected, but underneath she was frantic with worry. Every second that ticked by was pure agony; Rukia was out there somewhere and she was completely vulnerable!

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, "Not without her power she's not."

Raiden suddenly felt a powerful flux of spirit energy coming from the far side of town. She knew immediately where Rukia was, and the girl wasn't alone. "Hey, Ichigo, why don't we split up? I'll go downtown and you continue to look here." She was trying her hardest to keep Ichigo away from the fight, which wouldn't be too hard considering her brother was terrible at sensing spiritual pressure.

"Ok, good idea. Call me if you find anything." Raiden nodded and took off in the direction of the disturbance. With any luck, she'd be able to quell the situation before Ichigo even caught wind of what was going on.

Once out of eyesight, she flash stepped as fast as she could until her targets came into view. She had perched herself atop one of the nearby buildings when she recognized the Soul Reaper agents cornering Rukia. She took special notice of the Quincy, Uryuu, laying on the ground. She wasted no time and whipped out her cell phone and dialed a number from memory.

_"Do you have any idea what time it is?"_ came a disgruntled voice on the other line.

"They're here," was all she said.

There was a pause on the other line, _"Who is it?"_

"Renji and Byakuya," she replied sadly, "And Uryuu looks like he needs medical attention."

_"Damn it, I'll be there soon. Where's Ichigo?"_

"On the other side of town looking for Rukia."

_"Then let's hope he stays out of it."_ A click on the other end ended the call. Raiden silently closed her phone and slipped it back into her shorts pocket. She was at a loss of what to do. She desperately wanted to save Rukia, but it was her brother who had come to collect her. She knew that interfering with the Kuchiki's "family business" would result in a fight, and if she released her Zanpakuto, others would be there in an instant. She didn't know what to do.

"Renji," came the cold and calculating voice of Byakuya Kuchiki, "it would appear that we have a guest." Raiden gasped silently; she was using her unique ability to suppress her spirit energy at full capacity and Byakuya had picked up on it.

"Is that right?" the Lieutenant lifted his sunglasses and looked around.

"Up there," Byakuya pointed at the building Raiden was sitting on. She had been discovered.

"That's pretty good," Raiden called out before jumping down and landing on one knee with both arms straight out behind her. "I didn't think anyone could sense my presence." She stood up and eyed the Captain who stared blankly at her.

Rukia gasped, "Stay out of this, Raiden!"

Byakuya continued to stare at her blankly, "I wasn't talking about you," he narrowed his eyes, "although your presence isn't at all surprising." He pointed past Raiden and all eyes came to rest on Ichigo, who was just walking up with his Zanpakuto on his shoulder.

"Step aside, Raiden, I don't want you to get hurt," he said evenly.

"No, Ichigo!" Rukia shouted.

"Huh?" Renji looked confused, "And just who the hell are you?"

"The name's Ichigo, I'm the one who's gonna beat your ass. How's it going?" Without warning, Renji attacked. Ichigo blocked with his Zanpakuto, but he was struggling. Raiden took off after her brother when she saw a sword swinging at her from the corner of her eye. She dodged cleanly and looked up at Byakuya who was glaring at her. Raiden scowled back, daring the Captain to move.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shrieked. Raiden looked at her brother and saw blood gushing from a wound in his shoulder. She glanced back at Byakuya but gasped when she discovered he was no longer standing in front of her.

Renji grinned, "Look at you, nothing but a fake. You couldn't even put a scratch on a real Soul Reap-" It happened so fast, Raiden almost didn't see Ichigo slash Renji right in the chin with his sword.

"Sorry about that. I know you were in the middle of saying something, but you left yourself so wide open there I just couldn't help myself. I apologize, why don't you continue? You said something about a scratch?" Ichigo had nerve, she'd give him that.

Renji thumbed the scratch on his chin and shot him a devilish smirk, "You son of a bitch."

"You let your guard down, Renji," Byakuya spoke evenly. "This young man, Ichigo Kurosaki, I believe I have heard of him before. There were reports of him dealing a Menos a quite serious blow, and forced it back to Hueco Mundo."

A loud, boisterous laugh escaped Renji's throat, "You gotta be fucking kidding me! This kid wounded a Menos Grande? I don't believe a word of it! And that sword, it's freaking huge." He turned to face Ichigo with a toothy grin, "Tell me, what's the name of that monstrosity?"

Ichigo stared at him blankly, "Huh? What's its name? Are you telling me you guys name your swords?"

Renji's grin turned sadistic, "I knew it! You can't even ask your Zanpakuto its name and you think you can fight me as an equal?" Renji placed his hand over his blade and ran it from the base to the tip, "Now roar, Zabimaru!" Ichigo watched in amazement as the katana transformed into a completely different sword with many razor sharp blades, all bigger then the last, adorning the new blade. Renji swung his Zanpakuto and hit Ichigo in the other shoulder as his sword recoiled back, sawing through his skin and bones. Ichigo fell to the ground, "It's all over, you lost to Renji Abari and will die where you stand!" he swung his sword above his head, ready for another attack.

Out of nowhere, Rukia sprang into action and jumped on Renji's back, holding his sword arm as tightly as she could, "Run, Ichigo! Save yourself!"

But Ichigo didn't run; he stood up and gripped his Zanpakuto tightly. Raiden was frozen. She knew her brother would never back down, but if she were to interfere, it would only make matters worse. She had never felt so helpless! She gasped in shock as waves of spirit energy began rolling off of Ichigo as he charged Renji for another attack, landing on the Lieutenant's shoulder. "What the hell?" the Lieutenant barked. Ichigo came around behind him for another attack, but Renji dodged it just in time.

"I don't know what's happening to me, but I like it," Ichigo grinned. "I don't feel any pain from my wounds; in fact I feel totally invincible." Renji gripped his sword tightly and swung it around for another attack, but Ichigo dodged it with ease. Again and again he attacked and again and again Ichigo dodged. Ichigo countered and lunged at Renji, who was barely able to dodge it. "You're pretty good at avoiding my sword," Ichigo pointed out. He leapt into the air for one final blow and Raiden felt her heart plummet.

Raiden could see it plain as day, but she knew there was no way Ichigo was able to. Before he reached the Lieutenant, Ichigo stopped short and looked blankly at the sword in his hands; it consisted of only the handle and a small section of the blade. He didn't understand. He looked back at Byakuya who hadn't seemed to have moved. Ichigo's eyes widened in horror when he noticed the other half of his blade in the Captain's hands.

_"Impossible! He's all the way over there!"_

Suddenly, the Captain had disappeared and Ichigo felt his presence beside him before feeling a blade slice through his chest. It felt like it took forever, but the warm blood seeped down his torso and he felt cold as he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Ichigo!" Raiden called out. She glared at the bastard who had stabbed her brother with a primal, animalistic urge to tear his flesh from his body. She wanted so badly to carve that bastard up, but it was no use. The damage was already done. Byakuya sheathed his sword and began to walk away when Ichigo grabbed at his ankle.

"Wait…" he choked out.

Byakuya stopped and looked at his leg, "It looks like you won't be needing that arm," his words were like venom that chilled even Renji to the bone. Rukia gasped and abruptly kicked Ichigo's hand off of her brother's leg. Ichigo looked up at her in bewilderment.

"You are just a lowly human," she spat, "How dare you grab my brother like that! You better learn your place!" She turned towards Byakuya, "We should leave here, brother. The actions Ichigo just took have opened my eyes to the truth. I am ready now. Take me back to the Soul Society."

"You can't leave now, our works isn't even finished," Ichigo argued between gasps for air.

Rukia ignored him, "I see no need to inflict a final blow on him now. Leave him be and soon enough, he'll die on his own. We should go now, brother." Rukia took a few steps but Ichigo wasn't done yet.

"Wait!" he called out. "Rukia! Look at me! Is this some kind of a joke?"

"Don't move!" she bellowed with her back towards him, "Take even one step, or try to come after me, and I'll…I'll," she turned her head and he could see tears welling up in her eyes. "I'll never forgive you!" She turned away from him as a soft rain began to fall on them.

Byakuya seemed content and took his hand off his sword, "Alright, I will not administer the final blow. With my two attacks against him, I have shattered both his soul chain and soul sleep. There's no point in finishing him off; he'll die in less then an hour. Even if he does survive this attack, all his powers will be lost."

Renji nodded in acknowledgement, "What about her?" he pointed over to Raiden who hadn't moved a muscle since the attack had started.

Byakuya regarded her, "Leave her. We have what we came for. There is a bounty on her head, but someone else has already claimed it." Renji gave a curt nod as he proceeded to open the gate that connected the two worlds. Byakuya, Renji, and Rukia disappeared through the gate.

Raiden rushed to her brother's side, but Ichigo was unconscious. "Damn it," she muttered to herself. If only she had studied more of the first aid material back at the Academy!

"Well, the injuries don't seem to be as bad as I had feared." Raiden immediately recognized the voice as Kisuke Urahara's.

"Ichigo's hurt pretty bad," she countered softly.

Kisuke crouched next to her and inspected the boy's injuries, "Hmm, yeah he looks like he got beat up pretty good." He yawned and scratched the back of his head, "By the way, if you ever wake me up at this time of night again, I'll kill you." That was classic Kisuke; always making light of a serious situation. Raiden often wondered if it was some sort of defense mechanism the shop owner had developed over the years of being in exile, or if it was just simply how he was.

She laughed humorlessly, and recited his words from earlier, "You'll forgive me, you always do."

* * *

Ichigo woke with a start and found himself lying on the ground in a place he didn't recognize. Raiden was leaning against the far wall and seemed to be deep in thought. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Don't move around so much," he looked up to see Kisuke walking into the room, "You barely made it out alive."

"I see. I take it this is your house?"

"Uh huh," Kisuke gave him an affirming nod.

Ichigo placed a hand on one of his shoulders and felt fresh bandages, "So I take it you're the one who saved me?"

Kisuke gestured towards Raiden, "I wasn't alone. And we managed to patch up Uryuu as well. His wounds weren't as serious as yours, though. When he left, he was worried about you."

Ichigo was in shock, "Uryuu was worried?"

Kisuke nodded, "And he pointed out that the only one who could save Rukia, is you."

"What?!" Raiden pushed herself off the wall and approached Kisuke, "No way! Look at him! He's in no condition to fight!"

Kisuke put a hand up, "All in due time, of course."

"What does it matter anyway?" Ichigo hugged his knees, "Rukia's gone back to the Soul Society; I won't be able to save her!"

"Do you really believe that?" Kisuke asked in a low tone. "There's a way into the Soul Society."

Ichigo jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain from his injuries, "There's a way? Tell me! I have to go after her!"

"Only on one condition," Kisuke snuck a glance towards Raiden, who was seething with anger. He knew Raiden wouldn't reveal her true identity to her brother and he was taking full advantage.

"Anything," Ichigo begged.

"You stay here for the next ten days and allow me to train you to fight properly."

"Ten days?" he asked in disbelief. "I don't have that kind of time. Rukia could be executed at any second! We have to go now!"

Kisuke grabbed his cane and pushed Ichigo down to the floor with it as he crouched over him. "Are you an idiot? If you go now, you'll die for sure. You think you can beat them. You honestly think you can fight them. I went ahead and let you try to fight them to prove a point."

_"That's why it took him so long to respond last night!"_ Raiden balled her hands into fists and suppressed a growl.

Kisuke continued, "I figured you'd understand results better then words. My hope was that you'd learn your lesson. With the amount of strength you have now, you won't even be able to get into the Soul Society." He stood up and walked for the door, "The Soul Society usually has a one month waiting period before an execution. So that gives me ten days to torture you, seven to open the gate to the Soul Society, then we'll have thirteen days when we get there to get the job done. So we've got plenty of time."

"Ichigo, you have to reconsider," Raiden pleaded. "You were no match for those guys! What makes you think that in ten days you'll be ready?" She had never heard of someone's skills increasing so much in such a short amount of time. Not to mention, Byakuya had destroyed his Soul Sleep! She knew Kisuke always had a plan brewing behind his goofy demeanor, but this was ridiculous!

Kisuke smirked and exited the room, leaving the siblings alone. "If Urahara thinks it'll work, then I've got to trust him." Ichigo laid back down, "Besides, I can't let Rukia die because I wasn't strong enough."

Raiden pinched the bridge of her nose, "Damn it, Ichigo, when will you stop acting like that? You know damn well that Rukia isn't going to die because of you! There are other forces at work here that-" she stopped herself when she saw a black cat enter the room and stare at her. They locked gazes for a while, mentally battling one another. After a few moments, she sighed, "Just promise me you'll be careful." She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, while the cat followed.

Once out of earshot, Raiden turned to Yoruichi, "I can't let him feel guilty for something that wasn't his fault!" she argued.

"Why not? Guilt is a great motivator," the cat answered.

"Yeah? And what about when his overwhelming guilt gets him killed? Then he will have died for nothing!" her chest was heaving and her heart was pumping rapidly. She took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to calm herself.

Yoruichi walked past her, "He's not going to die," she dismissed and looked at her over her shoulder, "Because you'll be there to protect him."

Raiden scoffed, "Oh, right, because I could totally take down a fucking Captain, let alone thirteen of them! Are you forgetting that I'm at the top of the wanted list? As soon as I set foot in the Seireitei, I'll be apprehended by a Captain class-"

"Which is exactly why I'm going to train you," Yoruichi interrupted.

Her jaw dropped, "One more time?"

Yoruichi wiggled her tail before jumping up on Raiden's shoulder, "During the next ten days when Ichigo is training with Kisuke, you'll be training with me." There was a predatory glint in her eyes that Raiden had seen countless times before. She trusted Yoruichi, of course, but the notion that someone could improve so much in so little time was unthinkable.

Raiden ran her hands down her face and stared at the floor with intensity, "I never thought I'd go back there. Am I ready to face this?"

* * *

Yoruichi had been true to her word; the following ten days were brutal by every definition. Raiden felt like giving up more then once, but she kept at it. Little by little she could feel her strength increasing over time. Once the ten days were up, she felt like a whole new person. "I think I can finally take you, Yoruichi," Raiden grinned as she laid her Zanpakuto across her shoulders.

The Princess returned the grin, "You'd better not get ahead of yourself."

Raiden jumped down from the ridge she was standing on. They had been training off in a wooded area that was well hidden and secluded. Kisuke had Ichigo in his "basement" training him in the finer points of battle, so the two women had to go elsewhere to hone their skills. "Hey, Yoruichi, do you think you could help me reach Bankai?"

Much to her surprise, Yoruichi became serious, "Don't get ahead of yourself," she repeated.

Raiden placed a hand on her hip, "I'm not," she argued, "You're expecting me to go up against Captains here. Every single one of them has a Bankai, which means I'm toast." Yoruichi regarded her out of the corner of her eye. Although she had a point, Raiden was looking at things all wrong. As usual.

"You don't need a Bankai," she replied as she took a seat under one of the bigger trees around them. Raiden scoffed and rolled her eyes; Yoruichi was _always_ like this. It was bad enough that Kisuke had the Vague-As-A-Motherfucker award, but the Princess was a close second.

"Please explain," she sighed as she took a seat next to her.

Yoruichi was silent for a few moments, trying to find the right words. She knew how the other girl operated and she had to speak her language. "This is a rescue mission," she finally said. "Meaning that we want to avoid casualties at any cost."

Raiden couldn't contain the rage bubbling inside her any longer, "Avoid casualties? They're gonna fucking execute Rukia! Who says they deserve to live?"

Yoruichi sighed in annoyance. Sometimes dealing with Raiden was like babysitting, "Both your parents were Soul Reapers. You know all about the chain of command," she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but Raiden was still lost. When she didn't comment, Yoruichi continued, "You can't condemn people for following orders." She waited a few seconds to let the idea sink in. And judging by the look on her face, Raiden had finally connected the dots.

"I guess you're right," she sounded distant. "_How could I not have thought of that?"_ She mentally scolded herself for missing something so completely obvious!

"I get it," Yoruichi said as she draped an arm over the other woman's shoulder. "Your best friend is in trouble and you're blinded by your anger and thirst for vengeance." Yoruichi stared out ahead of them and seemed to get lost in a memory, "I totally get it," she whispered. Raiden crinkled her brows as she felt a twinge of worry somewhere deep within. She was used to this kind of behavior from the Princess, but she never knew where Yoruichi went when she became lost in her memories. It was one of the reasons why they never worked out as a couple. She had wanted to share everything, but Yoruichi always kept a part of herself separate from the relationship. It made Raiden feel like the other woman didn't trust her.

"Ok, so no killing," Raiden said slowly, returning to the original topic. "How can I fight if I'm pulling punches?"

Yoruichi gave her a sideways glance. She knew where this question was really coming from. Ever since she had known the girl, Raiden had struggled to control her spiritual pressure. _"Much like Ichigo,"_ she noted. The idea of entering battle scared her to the point where she would try to avoid it at all costs, and Yoruichi hoped this was still the case. The least amount of fighting the better, especially once within the Seireitei. "You still have that fear," she pointed out.

Raiden nodded, "It's why I was frozen in place when Byakuya attacked Ichigo. If I can't save my brother from nearly dieing, then how the hell am I gonna save Rukia? It's such a-" she never got a chance to finish her sentence as Yoruichi had pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It was the only way to silence her. Raiden immediately calmed down at the contact and leaned into the kiss.

After a few moments, Yoruichi pulled back . Golden eyes met silver, "You were right not to get involved."

"But I let Ichigo go up against Byakuya and Renji by himself. He could've died," she breathed.

Yoruichi shook her head, "Kisuke and I were right there. Not to mention that if things were to get out of hand, your father would've stepped in and they would have stopped. Don't take all the blame; you always do that." Before Raiden could respond, however, Yoruichi had leaned in again, seeking out the other woman's lips. The Princess swung a leg over and straddled her. Raiden could feel the heat rising in her belly as the kiss deepened. She ran a hand through the purple locks of her ex while losing herself in the moment.

She was reminded of their time together as a couple. She had never been happier in her life. She remembered the exact moment when she had given Yoruichi her heart explicitly. The Princess had shot her a feral grin before dragging her down to the bed before an intense session of passionate lovemaking. Raiden had noticed how Yoruichi had never even answered her declaration of love, but it didn't matter, she didn't need to hear it; she _felt_ it. Yoruichi had a knack for keeping people at a distance using sex to distract them. Once she had figured this out, Raiden had confronted the Princess about it. Yoruichi had then broken it off with her.

And now, she was being sucked right back into Yoruichi's gravitational pull. She had a choice: put her foot down and stand up for herself, or allow herself to be taken advantage of _again_. She felt lightheaded and dizzy at the feel of the Princess' soft lips working their magic against her own. She was almost at the point of no return…

"I can't," Raiden whispered as she reluctantly pulled back. "I want to, but I can't." Yoruichi licked her lips and rested her forehead against Raiden's.

"I understand," she said in disappointment as she left the other woman's lap. Yoruichi knew she had faults; hell, she was usually the first person to admit it! But no matter how hard she had tried to change for Raiden, she found it impossible. She was who she was and that would never change. Sometimes it infuriated her beyond belief. Before she had known it, she had fallen in love with Raiden Kurosaki. And just as quickly, she had ruined what they had had. Her own selfishness had cost her a lot in life and she wondered if she would ever find happiness.

At that moment, she wanted to beg Raiden to come back to her. She wanted things to go back to the way they were, back when they were happy. _"Who am I kidding? My ego would never allow me to beg…"_

"I'm scared," Raiden blurted out, causing Yoruichi to snap out of her thoughts. Raiden turned her head towards her, "Of going back," she clarified.

Yoruichi nodded, "That's to be expected, but you won't be in danger."

"You like playing that card, don't you?"

The Princess smiled, "You'll be there with Ichigo. Plus Chad, Uryuu, and of course Orihime."

Raiden had almost forgotten that Yoruichi had also spent the past ten days training Ichigo's friends. "How are they coming along?"

She sighed, "Well Chad has endurance, but that's about it. Uryuu is surprisingly strong and a force to be reckoned with. Orihime will be mostly useful for her healing ability and not much else." Try as hard as she might, the redhead just didn't have an aggressive bone in her body. Yoruichi hoped she wouldn't run into some of the more violent officers in the Soul Society.

"So it's basically up to Ichigo, Uryuu, and I?"

"And me." Raiden felt uneasy. The thought of Yoruichi accompanying them made her worry. She knew the other woman could more then handle herself, but she wasn't sure how the Soul Society would react to having their long lost Princess return.

"Are you sure that's wise?" she finally asked.

Yoruichi shrugged, "Someone has to guide you," Raiden agreed, but it didn't mean she liked it. "Besides, I have to make sure you keep your secret from Ichigo."

She sighed loudly, "Ugh, that's gonna be difficult. Maybe I should just stay here," she muttered. Lying to Ichigo about being a Soul Reaper didn't sit well with her, which was ironic because she had been lying to him his whole life.

"You're a key player here whether you like it or not. You're going," Yoruichi rebuked. Raiden's eyes widened in shock at her suddenly sharp tone, "Aizen's conspiracy needs to be exposed and we won't be able to do it without you." Yoruichi's stern glare gave no room for argument.

"Ok, ok I get it," she put her hands up in defense.

A few moments passed and the tension slowly dissipated. Yoruichi felt bad for having to be firm, but she was never the type to apologize for anything, so she did the next best thing; she gave her advice. "Raiden, you have to make sure that you avoid any personnel from Squad Two while we're there."

"Why?" When she had been at the Academy, Raiden learned very little about the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. She knew the basic things like what the responsibilities were of Lieutenants and Captains and what the general rules were within the Seireitei, but nothing else. She always supposed she would've learned more had she not graduated three years early and then exiled two days later.

"Because Squad Two is the Stealth Force and they are trained in apprehending and assassinating fugitives," she answered plainly.

"Isn't that your old squad?"

Yoruichi confirmed with a nod, "They won't hesitate to kill you. It's important that you survive long enough to expose Aizen."

Raiden felt her insides boil at that comment. "So you're only concerned with my survival because I have information that will take down Aizen?"

Yoruichi closed her eyes and cursed herself for being too proud to say that she loved the woman. "That's not what I meant!"

Raiden quickly got to her feet and seethed in anger, "Then what did you mean? Tell me!" Yoruichi avoided eye contact and after a few moments Raiden scoffed and shook her head, "That's really the best you can give me? After everything we've shared together, you still can't say it, can you? In case you ever wonder why our relationship never worked out, this is why." The Princess watched as Raiden stormed off, completely unaware that she was taking Yoruichi's heart with her.


	6. All You Can Give Me Is 4 Minutes? Sigh

**Chapter 6: All You Can Give Me Is 4 Minutes? *Sigh***

Somewhere between dinner and bedtime, a man approaches his friend:

_"Does she know?"_

_"No,"_ she sounded sad.

_"Good work."_ He turned to leave when she called back to him,

_"You realize she's gonna want payback, right?"_

He stopped, _"Then let's hope everything goes according to plan."_

_"It won't help my situation…"_

_"You've always kept things from her. How is this any different?"_

* * *

Raiden and Ichigo slowly dragged themselves out of bed. They were sore, tired, and hungry. Ichigo had the luxury of showcasing his uncomfortable state, but Raiden did not. Her brother had no idea what she had been doing for the past ten days and she had every intention of keeping it that way. She leapt off the top bunk and stifled a groan as she slowly stretched her tired muscles. Luckily, Ichigo wasn't the observant type and proceeded to get dressed. "I hope Yuzu has breakfast on the table already," he grumbled.

"Ditto," she answered as she threw on an oversized sweatshirt. She grabbed a towel from her dresser and was headed for the bathroom when she stopped at the closet. She bowed her head and placed a hand on the door, wondering what her friend was doing at that exact moment. Rukia had been her friend since childhood; to know that she had been sentenced to death was killing her. She felt responsible. Just by _talking_ to her the Soul Society had branded Rukia a traitor and was sending her to her death.

She nearly jumped when she felt a warm hand squeeze her shoulder, "It'll be ok," Ichigo soothed. "I'm leaving today to rescue her, and before you know it, she'll be back."

"No," she shook her head and fought off the tears. "She belongs in the Soul Society. Even if you rescue her," she trailed off. The words were evading her and she turned to meet her brother's concerned gaze, "she can't exist in a world where she doesn't belong. They will always hunt her until they kill her." She was speaking from experience.

Ichigo blinked, "Then I guess it's a good thing that she has us to protect her. I'm not going all the way there just to allow her to be hunted back here. I'm gonna resolve this and bring her back." She believed him, especially when he gave her a stern nod to indicate that he meant business. She reveled in his new found strength and confidence; it made her wish she could come clean with him. But for now, she had to play along.

"I know you will," she smiled warmly and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I just want you to be safe," she said against his chest.

He nodded, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She ended the hug and proceeded into the bathroom. Once she closed the door she whimpered as her body collapsed to the floor in agony. Standing was rather difficult due to her rigorous training with Yoruichi.

_Yoruichi._

Raiden closed her eyes, hoping it would keep the painful memories at bay. She wished she had never met the woman sometimes. _"No, that's not true…"_ The truth was she would always be hung up on the Princess. There was just something about her that Raiden felt like she couldn't live without. The world just made sense when she was with Yoruichi, regardless of how she was treated. Of course she wanted a full commitment from her, but a part of her liked the game the Princess played. She'd never admit it, but the thrill of the chase had never gone away with Yoruichi. But the rational part of her argued that in order to have a successful relationship she needed more then just a cheap thrill. It was quite the conundrum.

She sighed in discontent and started her bath water. She groaned as she submerged her body in the hot water. Almost instantly she felt the tension and worry escape her. She stretched out as much as she could and rested her head on the back of the tub. As the heat rose off the water she closed her eyes and thought about the upcoming battles she would have to fight. They were finally taking action against Aizen, the man who was responsible for her exile, along with a dozen others. She had only met the people who called themselves the Vizards once, and to think that Ichigo was now one of them made her feel queasy. She was raised to believe that anything having to do with Hollows was bad, evil, even, but now she wasn't so sure. The Vizards always seemed to be pleasant enough, but she knew right underneath the surface beat the heart of an untamable monstrosity. And now Ichigo walked that same path. She didn't know if she could ever let go of her biased attitude towards Hollow-fication, but she vowed to try her hardest.

* * *

Just as Raiden had gotten dressed and started to blow dry her hair, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" she yelled above the noise of the dryer. Isshin walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Everything's all set," he whispered in her ear. Raiden put the dryer on high and set it on the ground by the door so they could speak to each other without being heard.

"The gate is all ready to go?" He nodded and she felt butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous and her father knew it.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked in all seriousness, which was very uncharacteristic. His somber tone only increased her nervousness.

"I don't know," she admitted, "I trained with Yoruichi and I'm much stronger and all, but I'm scared." She looked up at him with worried eyes and he embraced her.

"I highly doubt they'll kill you on the spot."

"It's not me I'm worried about." Isshin was a little surprised at her declaration.

"Are you worried about Ichigo?"

She shook her head, "No, he's really strong, dad. Stronger then me anyway."

"Then what are you worried about?"

She didn't want to say it out loud. She didn't even want to think it, "Rukia. What if we don't get to her in time?"

Isshin tightened his grip on his eldest daughter, "Don't think like that, sweetie. Believe it or not, there are plenty of decent people in the Seireitei that I'm sure are completely against executing her. Old man Yama just might meet a good sized resistance by his own people." It wasn't a sure thing, but the notion made her feel a little better.

She broke the hug, "Do you really think his own people would revolt?"

He nodded, "Of course. But the sooner you go and expose Aizen, the better. Once he's revealed to be a traitor, they'll have to drop all the charges against Rukia. You have a very important part to play, my dear." What he said made her think of Yoruichi's words earlier. She knew her information on Aizen was invaluable, but would she survive long enough to prove him guilty? What if she ran into Squad Two? Yoruichi assured her that as soon as she did, she would be history. She wasn't like her brother, she couldn't just fearlessly rush into battle like he could.

"You're right, the sooner the better."

Isshin grabbed her shoulder, "In the event that you are captured-"

"Don't worry, I've got a plan for that." He nodded before picking up the blow dryer and handed it to her.

"And if you see your mother, tell her I said hello."

* * *

Ichigo was on his way to Urahara's shop. He was a little surprised at how easy it was to convince his father to let him "go on a vacation with his friends" for a few weeks, but he shrugged it off. He had trained with Kisuke and he felt like he was ready to face what was about to come. He was confident he would bring Rukia back.

He approached the shop and found the owner on the front steps, along with Chad. "Ichigo," Kisuke called out to him, "so glad you could make it."

"Hey Chad, what are you doing here?" he asked in amazement.

His friend slowly turned to face him, "Rukia saved my life once. I'm here to return the favor. I'm going too."

"Huh?" Ichigo could hardly believe his ears.

"What's the matter, are you hard of hearing of something?" Uryuu asked as he strolled up behind them.

"Uryuu?"

"I don't take defeat well. Especially if it's at the hands of a Soul Reaper," the young man's voice was dangerously even as he explained that he was going as well. Before Ichigo could comment, however, another person approached.

"So I guess we're all present and accounted for," Orihime said cheerfully.

Ichigo felt his stomach drop, "Orihime?"

"Yes," she bowed slightly, "I got the message too, and I'm here and ready to go."

Ichigo grabbed his hair in his hands, "Will somebody please tell me what the hell's going on here?"

"You're a little slow on the uptake, aren't you?" Yoruichi asked as the black cat approached the group. "Don't tell me you didn't notice the increase in the hidden powers of these three friends of yours. There have been so many clues. You need to be more observant then that if you want to survive. While you were training and trying to regain your Soul Reaper powers, these three were also training in their own way. So instead of asking meaningless questions, you ought to be thanking them."

Ichigo was dumbfounded. Did he just get yelled at… by a cat? "That freaking cat just spoke to me!" He was shocked beyond belief but his companions were looking at him like it was no big deal.

"Really Ichigo? You've been exposed to another world where you've slain monsters who you never knew existed, but a talking cat freaks you out?" Ichigo turned towards the familiar voice to see Raiden coming out of the shop dressed in her MMA gear.

Ichigo eyed his sister, "What the hell? No," he said firmly. "No, you're not coming. I don't care what you say, you're staying here." Much to his annoyance, Raiden only smirked.

"I'd like to see you try and stop me," she slammed her fists together and rolled her shoulders. "Besides, I've been training for battle my whole life," she nodded to her MMA jersey. "Not to mention, I'm the older sister here and I do what I want."

Ichigo was about to give her a piece of his mind when Kisuke clapped his hands, "Alright then, everyone, let's take this party inside the store. There are things we can't talk about here in the open." One by one they all filed inside, but Ichigo stopped his friend.

"Orihime," he called out flatly. "How much do you know about what's going on? I mean, this is gonna be dangerous."

The redhead's features softened a bit, "Yes, but I gave my promise. I promised I'd go with you, and I…" she trailed off and seemed to get lost in a memory. "I told Tatsuki I'd come back to her." Ichigo's eyes widened in shock and Orihime ran inside the store.

"Don't worry," Raiden walked past him, "she's in good hands."

"And you," he began, "I know Chad and Uryuu have special abilities and all, but you don't. What makes you think it's a good idea that you come along?"

She sighed in annoyance, "You think Orihime and I are going to hold you back because we're girls, don't you?" she placed her hands on her hips to emphasize her point.

"What? No!" he began pacing, "You have no idea what we're going up against."

"Like you do?" she questioned.

"You don't even have a weapon!" he argued.

She held up her hands, "All I've ever needed were these. You know I'm fast, Ichigo. I can strike quick and run away." He mulled it over for a few moments. She had a point, she _was_ fast. He remembered the night at the restaurant when she slammed him up against the wall. She had moved so quickly that he didn't see it coming.

"Ok," he finally agreed. "But you need to watch yourself."

"Right back at you." The siblings made their way into the shop and down to the elaborate basement. Raiden knew the place like the back of her hand. When she was exiled from the Soul Society, her father suggested coming and working for Kisuke. She had spent three years training underneath the small shop, as well as running recon missions whenever Urahara needed her. It was a dreary existence, but when you're hunted relentlessly by the Stealth Force, there was no place safer.

"This place is incredible!" Orihime squealed.

Tessai grabbed her hand and kneeled in front of her, "Oh what a wonderful reaction!" he blubbered. Apparently, very few people were ever impressed with the cavernous room.

"Alright everyone, your attention please!" Kisuke announced. The group turned to face him and gasped when a rather brittle looking Senkaimon suddenly appeared out of thin air. "This is the gate that leads to the Soul Society," he explained as he, without warning, struck Ichigo with the end of his cane, causing Ichigo's soul to be ripped from his body. Orihime was amazed at the transformation and babbled on like a school girl, while Ichigo grumbled his displeasure to Kisuke.

During the distraction, Yoruichi quickly jumped on Raiden's shoulder. "I see you've convinced Ichigo to let you accompany him."

She nodded, "Yeah. Listen Yoruichi, about this mission… if anything happens to either one of us, I just want you to know-"

The cat purred loudly and nuzzled her neck, "Shush, don't talk like that. You're gonna be fine." Yoruichi met her gaze and gave her a look of determination, "I'm going to be with you every step of the way." It was a promise, Raiden realized, and she picked the cat up and cradled it in her arms.

The commotion died down when Kisuke whistled sharply. "Ok listen up. Unlike normal gates, this one has a spirit particle conversion machine."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo demanded.

"As you already know, the Soul Society is a spirit world. Unless you're in spirit form, it's impossible to enter. And seeing how Ichigo is the only one who's in spirit form already, the converter will transform the rest of you, allowing you to enter.

Uryuu seemed to comprehend the situation perfectly, "So you're saying the gate will allow us to pass through without extracting our souls?"

"Yes," Kisuke confirmed, "passing through the gate will allow you to stay in your present forms."

"Alright we get it, let's go already," Ichigo charged off for the gate and Kisuke jabbed him in the ribs with his cane.

"But there's a catch," he explained as Ichigo doubled over in pain. "The largest window of time I can give you is only four minutes long." The collective gasps from the group made him smirk, "Ordinarily, that's not enough time. In fact, the whole scheme is a little shaky, but four minutes with the gate is all I can give you. After that, it will close and whoever hasn't made it through will be trapped forever within the precipice world between this one and the Soul Society."

Raiden and Yoruichi exchanges glances before the cat jumped out of her arms. Orihime looked frightened, "How will we ever make it?" she asked.

Yoruichi walked up to her, "Go forward. You must have no doubt and no fear; you mustn't think of those you are leaving behind. The will to go forward will be your guide. And don't look back. If you want to survive, you must do all these things and I will lead you safely out."

"Ok then, enough talk, let's just do this already!" Ichigo was growing impatient.

Yoruichi ignored his tone, "You understand that if you lose, you'll never get to return to this life, right?"

Ichigo scowled, "Then all I have to do is win." He had never ceased to amaze Raiden with his ever growing confidence; something she always lacked. She knew her power was strong, but instead of taking charge of it like her brother, she feared it. In a way, she looked up to him. She hoped that one day, she could be just as confident, and just as fearless.

Kisuke switched on the Senkaimon, "Everybody ready? As soon as it opens, run in as fast as you can. Good luck." An intensely bright light flashed from the gate and in the blink of an eye, they had all disappeared. Only Kisuke and Tessai remained. The shop owner placed a hand on the gate, only to pull it back as it shocked him. "We're all counting on you, Ichigo."


	7. At Arm's Length

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took SOOOOOOO long to update... life gets in the way sometimes, and i know that's a lame excuse, but that's all i got :/ Hope you enjoy this chapter, i'm not exactly too thrilled with it. I re-wrote it a few times and this is the best i could come up with. Thank you again for all the reviews/favorites/follows! You guys are the best :)**

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**Chapter 7: At Arm's Length**

After a narrow escape from the Senkaimon, the group found themselves hurdled into the Soul Society. They had landed in what seemed to be a town, though strangely, no people were present. "Doesn't it seem odd that there's no one around?" Uryuu pointed out.

"Yeah," Ichigo drawled slowly, "Is this place really the Soul Society?"

"Yes," Yoruichi confirmed. "The specific area we are in is called the Rukon District. In fact, we've managed to land right on the perimeter of the Seireitei, the place where the Soul Reapers live." It wasn't long until Ichigo had managed to run off into the direction of the Seireitei. Raiden and Yoruichi called out to him, but it was no use. Out of nowhere, a giant wall fell around the entire Seireitei and the boy soon found himself standing in front of the largest man he had ever seen.

The man was known as Jidanbo, and he was one of four gate keepers stationed around the Seireitei. Ichigo, despite many warnings, approached the mountainous man and soon after a battle ensued. After a lot of cocky talk from both sides, the battle concluded and Ichigo walked away the victor. Jidanbo then proceeded to lift up the gate to allow them passage. The giant man seemed to struggle a bit with the heavy gate, but eventually he managed to open it.

Ichigo was all set to enter the Seireitei when he noticed something. Jidanbo was frozen in place and staring straight ahead in horror. "Jidanbo? What's wrong?" he asked. Raiden followed the gate keeper's gaze and gasped when she saw a figure approaching from within the Seireitei. "Who's that?" Ichigo demanded.

Jidanbo, without moving a muscle, answered, "That is none other then the Captain of Squad Three, Gin Ichimaru." Ichigo looked up to see a menacing, yet friendly looking, smile. The man looked to be cheerful, yet the aura he was giving off was very cold feeling. This Captain was a walking contradiction.

"Ah, not good," Gin tsked. Out of nowhere, and quicker then Ichigo could even comprehend, Jidanbo had been struck in the arm by Gin Ichimaru's sword. Jidanbo fell to his knees as the heavy gate landed on his shoulders. "Unacceptable. Being the guardian of the gate doesn't mean you're supposed to open the gate," Gin stated with that creepy smile of his.

Yoruichi jumped on Raiden's shoulder and whispered into her ear, "We cannot allow these kids to fight someone of his caliber. They are not ready to face someone who's at the rank of Captain."

"Agreed," Raiden answered as she glared at Gin. _"It's him. He was there the day I was exiled! He's got to be in cahoots with Aizen."_ Yoruichi noticed as the other woman tensed up, but now was not the time nor the place to ask about it.

Jidanbo was struggling under the immense weight of the gate, "I was defeated in battle. I had no choice but to open the gate; there was nothing more I could do."

Gin began to walk towards him, "What you're saying makes no sense. A gate keeper who loses isn't supposed to open the gate. When he loses, it means… death," the way he said the last word made it all the more sinister sounding.

Before anyone could stop him, Ichigo charged out and attacked the Captain, who blocked it with ease. "Ichigo!" Raiden called out to him.

Gin cocked his head, "Ichigo? You must be Ichigo Kurosaki." Both siblings stopped dead in their tracks and met his cold gaze. Raiden felt a shiver run up her spine when he briefly made eye contact with her. There was just something not right with this man.

"How the hell do you know my name?" Ichigo demanded. But without answering, Gin turned on his heel and walked away. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"All the more reason that I can't let you pass," the Captain called back. When he was about a hundred feet away or so, he stopped and pulled out his Zanpakuto, which looked to be much smaller then normal.

Ichigo failed to suppress a laugh, "Are you planning on throwing that dagger at me?" Raiden's eyes widened in horror; she knew _exactly_ what was coming.

"Ichigo get the fuck out of there!" she screeched.

"It's not a dagger," Gin deadpanned. Suddenly he let out an immense amount of spiritual pressure and turned to face Ichigo. "Impale him, Shinso!" Before their very eyes, the tiny sword lengthened itself and headed straight for Ichigo. He barely managed to get his Zanpakuto up to block it as he was thrust back into Jidanbo, who fell backwards from the sheer force. As he fell, the gate slipped out of his hold. Raiden watched as Gin bent down and waved to them before the gate closed in between them, sealing them out of the Seireitei.

The group huddled around Ichigo as he got to his knees, "I'm sorry guys, because of me the gate has been closed."

"No," Yoruichi said, "it's not your fault. Your opponent was Gin Ichimaru. You're lucky to still be alive after that encounter."

Ichigo got to his feet and turned towards Orihime, "Do you think you could heal Jidanbo?" She gave him a determined nod.

"Uh, guys?" Raiden pointed behind them at the village they came through when they exited the Senkaimon. "We're not alone anymore." Ichigo and friends turned around to see the townsfolk staring at them and murmuring amongst themselves.

"They must've been hiding before," Uryuu guessed.

"But, why?" Orihime asked as she looked around them.

Yoruichi flicked her tail, "They were obviously scared of us. People who enter the Soul Society without a Soul Reaper escort, are called Ryoka, and are said to be the root cause of trouble." An old man approached them and identified himself as the village elder. He graciously thanked them for saving Jidanbo's life. He extended to them an invitation to stay at his house for the night and they humbly accepted. He explained that the area was inhabited by a number of Soul Reapers who were incorrigible beyond belief, in which they all agreed after witnessing one of them attack their own.

Orihime had set out to heal Jidanbo as the rest of the group split up and explored their surroundings. Chad had found a little boy that he seemed to know and walked off with him. Uryuu was talking with the elder about possible strategies for entering the Seireitei, and Ichigo climbed to the highest tower in an attempt to see past the gate into the Soul Reaper HQ. Raiden had wandered off to walk along a bubbling brook on the outskirts of town. It was peaceful there, but she knew the feeling of safety was a myth. They were in serious danger, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to carry out their mission.

"This is so unlike you," Raiden stiffened as she heard Yoruichi's soft voice call out to her. She turned to see the Princess, now in her human form, swimming in the stream.

"What is?" she asked, completely ignoring the lack of clothing on her companion.

"Doubting yourself," Yoruichi answered plainly. "Was it spending three years on the run and not using your Zanpakuto, I wonder? Or is it the fact that you still feel a bit frightened by your power?" Sometimes, Raiden wanted nothing more then to punch Yoruichi in the face. It was times like this when her nosy attitude seemed to get in the way of her usually irresistible charm.

She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, "Leave me alone."

The Princess's lips curled into a mischievous smile, "I think you're afraid to expose yourself to Ichigo."

Raiden scoffed, "What? You're off your rocker." It was true, of course, but she'd never admit it. Not even to Yoruichi.

Yoruichi swam to a nearby boulder and placed her forearms on it, "Things between you two are finally solid. You're afraid that if you let him in on your secret that he'll be upset. You're scared that he won't trust you anymore." She paused and watched a myriad of emotions flash across Raiden's face. She lowered her voice, "You're scared that he'll blame you for his mother's death."

"Ok, that's enough!" Raiden bellowed. She turned her back to the Princess and kneeled on the ground as she placed her hands on her ears. She didn't want to hear any more.

"Don't get angry with me just because I'm speaking the truth." Raiden heard the other woman get out of the stream. She almost flinched when she felt herself being pulled into a wet hug. How long had it been since Yoruichi had held her like this? How long had it been since she allowed herself to feel this vulnerable?

Raiden turned in the embrace so they were chest to chest. She shuddered when the Princess tightened her hold around her with those strong arms she loved so dearly. She breathed in the familiar scent that was Yoruichi and she slowly felt her fears dissipate. She would always be fascinated with the other woman's abilities to quell even the strongest of fears with something as simple as a hug.

Raiden felt all of her old feelings bubble to the surface, and before she could stop herself, she looked up into those golden eyes and whispered, "I love you." It was out there now and there was no way she could take it back. Her heart stopped in anticipation as the Goddess of Flash smiled warmly in return.

Yoruichi knew what she had to do, she _knew_ that this was her chance to win her back. All she had to do was just say how she felt. But she couldn't. It had nothing to do with the fear of rejection, or even the fear of feeling vulnerable. It had nothing to do with feeling guilty, even. It all boiled down to her pride. In her mind, she had already answered, _"I love you, too,"_ but it came out as, "That's nice." She screwed her eyes shut immediately and braced herself for the retaliation she knew was coming.

Raiden broke the hug and shook her head, "Really?" She began to walk away, but retraced her steps so she was directly in front of Yoruichi. She ran a hand through her hair, "No, it's my fault for thinking you would ever change. I'm not even mad at you, Yoruichi. How can I be when I'm the one who got my hopes up? _Again!_ I was crazy to think that you could swallow your damn pride and tell me how you feel for once." She reached out and grabbed Yoruichi's chin and tilted her head so they were eye to eye, "Quit sucking me back in if all you're gonna do is keep me at arm's length!" Raiden shook her head and stormed off, leaving Yoruichi behind with her thoughts.

"The worst part is… that I don't blame you," Yoruichi said to no one as she transformed back into her cat form and followed at a distance.

* * *

As evening set in, the group had gathered in the elder's cottage. They had eaten a generous meal and were currently sitting around a table looking at a diagram of the Seireitei. As it would turn out, there were four gate keepers surrounding the Soul Reaper headquarters. Uryuu had pointed out that trying the same strategy would be futile, seeing as how security would tighten around the remaining gates.

"Well then in that case what the hell are we gonna do?" Ichigo grunted as he crossed his arms.

Yoruichi flicked her tail in annoyance, "Isn't it obvious? We have to find another way. Elder," she glanced at the old man, "do you know the whereabouts of Kuukaku Shiba?"

The elder gasped in shock, "What? You can't be serious!"

"As you know, she likes to move around quite often and I haven't been able to locate her new address." The old man balled his hands into fists and a small vein bulged in his forehead.

"Kuukaku Shiba," he spat. "Are you sure?" Raiden caught Ichigo's confused glance and merely shrugged. She knew the woman alright, and she was notorious for being brash. Raiden had only met her a handful of times and the thought of seeing her again made her skin crawl. "Don't tell me you're planning on going through the wall like that!" the elder exclaimed.

"Like what?" Orihime wondered aloud.

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something but closed it when he heard a faint rumbling in the distance. "Hey, what's that noise?"

The rest of the group heard it as well. "It sounds like a stampede," Orihime guessed. The noise became louder and louder and suddenly the door flung open as a burly man was flung into the hut. The mystery man landed face down and was greeted by a collective gasp as he stood up.

"Anyone know who this clown is?" Ichigo instinctively grabbed his sword and slowly circled around the intruder. He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed a wild pig saunter in through the door as well. "Huh? What's a fucking boar doing here?"

The mystery man dusted himself off and muttered something about being bucked off his pig. He smirked and nodded towards the elder, "Well it's been a long time, old man. What's happening?"

"Ganju!" the elder scolded. "What are you doing here? I think you should just go home."

"Aw, come on, I know it's been a while but is that any way to greet an old friend? I mean what are your guests gonna think?" The man known as Ganju looked around the room and his eyes came to rest on Ichigo. His smile quickly faded and he lowered his voice, "Would someone explain to me why there's a fucking Soul Reaper here?"

Ichigo glared back at him, "What did you just say?" he asked slowly.

Ganju walked right up to him and got in his face, "You heard me. Why is there a fucking Soul Reaper here?" he repeated.

Raiden rolled her eyes. She knew this man as well. He was the younger brother of Kuukaku and the biggest pain in the ass this side of West Rukon. He was always picking fights and getting into trouble. This time, however, she was certain he'd regret it.

Ichigo scowled and punched the youngest Shiba square in the jaw, sending him flying across the room. Orihime squealed as he flew past her and landed on his face for the second time. Ganju got to his feet and he and Ichigo began shouting at each other. Orihime looked worried, "Should we do something?"

Raiden shook her head, "No, let's just them be. Hopefully they'll knock each other out so we can get some shut eye." She knew her brother would never let something like this go and he would fight until he won. Ganju was the same way. There was just no settling this with words alone.

After a few insults and more then a couple kicks and punches were thrown, Yoruichi decided enough was enough. "Alright, Ichigo, knock it off. You shouldn't be wasting your energy in meaningless brawls."

"He started it!" he pointed at Ganju who threw his hands up in disbelief.

Much to Yoruichi's relief, the elder stepped in as well, "Ganju, stop! Can't you see that this is one of the good Soul Reapers?"

The burly man looked over his shoulder, "It makes no difference. Soul Reapers are Soul Reapers. To me, there is no good or bad."

"You're wrong, Ganju," the elder tried to reason with the youngest Shiba but it was no use. He grabbed a sword from behind his back and charged at Ichigo with full force. Ichigo blocked his attack with ease, but Ganju wasn't done just yet. There was more punching and kicking until suddenly a loud ringing noise came from somewhere behind them.

Ichigo turned to see one of Ganju's henchmen, who were all riding boars of their own for some reason, holding a giant clock. Ganju stopped abruptly, "What time is it now?"

"It's nine already, boss man! Oh this is gonna be bad!" one of them answered.

"Nine o' clock? Oh man," Ganju looked like he was gonna throw up. He quickly hopped on his boar and rode off. "Don't think I'm running away! I'll be back tomorrow to finish this!" he called out as Ichigo watched him disappear into the distance. Ichigo was about to go after him when he felt a sharp smack on the back of his head. He looked back to see Raiden glaring at him.

"That's enough," she rebuked. The cold stare she gave him made him swallow any objections he had. After a few moments, he retreated back into the hut, followed by the rest of the group. Raiden shook her head and looked up at the night sky. _"What a weird trip this is turning out to be." _She heard a set of light footsteps approaching and sighed in frustration, thinking it was Yoruichi. "I don't wanna talk to you right now," she warned.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I upset you," came the sweet and innocent voice of Orihime.

Raiden spun around, "Oh, Orihime, sorry, I thought you were someone else," she grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I can go if you want to be left alone," she turned to leave but Raiden grabbed her wrist.

"No, it's ok. It's just that Ichigo can be so childish sometimes." Orihime gave her a warm smile and nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to check up on Jidanbo. Would you care to accompany me?"

Raiden returned the smile, "I'd love to." She had never gotten the chance to talk to the other girl but she seemed nice enough. She remembered Rukia telling her about the awful incident with Orihime's brother when he became a Hollow and her heart ached for the girl. As they walked she noticed Orihime was happily humming to herself. _"Even after all she's been through she's still able to find a way to have a bright and sunny disposition."_

"So, you and Ichigo go to the same school?"

"Oh yes. We've known each other for years! Although, we're not that close." Orihime crinkled her brow as she thought about it, "In fact, I don't think he even knows I exist most of the time."

Raiden couldn't help the knowing smile from forming on her face; now it all made sense. Now she understood why the girl wanted to come to the Soul Society: to get Ichigo to notice her. "You know, he's not a very observant guy. You shouldn't take it personally."

Orihime tapped her chin, "I know. I mean, he's not even aware that you possess any Spiritual Pressure, and you're his own sister!"

Raiden's eyes widened in shock, "Wh-what?" she stammered.

Orihime inhaled sharply, "Don't worry, I won't tell him!"

"Wait… _you_ know?" Apparently the airhead act was just that: an act. Raiden was sure the seemingly dimwitted girl wouldn't pick up on such a thing. She was sure Uryuu would be the only one who would've noticed that little detail.

"Of course I know, silly! I knew as soon as I met you," she smiled triumphantly.

Raiden was beside herself, "But how did you know I was keeping it a secret?"

"Yoruichi," she shrugged.

Raiden snorted, "Yoruichi. I should've known." Orihime noticed the disgusted tone in her voice and clasped her hands behind her back as they continued walking at a slower pace.

"You thought I was Yoruichi when I came up behind you a minute ago, didn't you?" Raiden was surprised by the girl's astounding observation skills.

"Ok, now you're creeping me out. How could you have possibly known that?" her bewilderment was clear as day.

A sly smile curled Orihime's lips, "I know more then you probably think." When all she received was a worried look, she elaborated. "I know there's something between you and Yoruichi. Every time you're together, you seem to relax. Though, judging by the fact that whenever I say 'Yoruichi' you tense up, that tells me something happened between you two." Raiden had to admit, her ability to read body language was impressive.

"You don't find it weird that I had a thing with a cat?" she was fishing for information on how much this girl knew about the former Princess.

Orihime giggled, "I know Yoruichi isn't a cat. Cats can't talk," she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Orihime met her gaze, "Are you in love with him?" her forwardness surprised Raiden a bit.

"Him?" she was confused. Then it finally clicked, "Ah, yes, the voice." She eyed the other girl and wondered if she should even be having this conversation with her. She decided that there was no harm in telling her, seeing as how she already knew her secret. _One_ of her secrets anyway. "Yoruichi is a woman." After the initial shock was gone, she explained, "She uses a deeper voice when she's in cat form, don't ask me why, I have no idea. But you're right," she gave Orihime a sideways glance, "there is something between us. _Was_, I should say."

Orihime was silent for a few moments as she tried to make sense of what Raiden had just told her. Raiden, on the other hand, wondered if the subject of same sex couples freaked the poor girl out. She was about to tell her to forget it when Orihime shot her a saddened expression, "What happened?"

Normally, Raiden wouldn't delve so deep in personal matters with someone she had basically just met, but this girl was different. She seemed… genuine. "I met Yoruichi a few years ago when I started working for Kisuke Urahara. From the first second I met her, I knew I was in love. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. But it wasn't just her appearance that captivated me. She was mysterious. Her intelligence and eccentricity had me coming back for more. I think it's suffice to say that I have never met anyone like her before." Raiden paused as she lost herself in a memory.

Orihime noticed how nostalgic she looked while she talked about Yoruichi. She wondered what could've possibly gone so wrong between them. Raiden shook herself free from her memory and continued. "Yoruichi and I were sent on several different recon missions for Kisuke. During the first one, I was injured pretty badly; took a devastating blow to the knee. Yoruichi stood over me and fought off a few hundred hollows to ensure my safety. That was the first time I had ever seen the serious and desperate side of her. After it was all said and done, she carried me back home. I asked her how I could possibly thank her and she had a few… suggestive ideas as to how I could do that."

Raiden noticed that Orihime's cheeks had flushed, "Now, mind you, Yoruichi is a huge flirt, so I didn't think she was serious. I mean, I thought she was involved with Kisuke, but I was seriously mistaken. To spare you the details, we made it official that night." She smiled at the memory, but it quickly faded. "We were together for three years before everything fell apart."

Orihime placed a hand on Raiden's shoulder, "What happened?" she whispered.

Raiden exhaled slowly, "Yoruichi isn't exactly the commitment type."

"She cheated on you?"

She shook her head, "No. She's the type of person who takes what they want and then splits. She would disappear without a word for days, even weeks sometimes. Then she would come back without an explanation and act as if she had never left. When I would ask her about it, she would evade the question and distract me with sex. Our relationship was all on the surface. I began to feel like I was nothing but her toy instead of her girlfriend. It broke my heart when I realized I opened up and gave her all of me and she gave nothing in return."

Orihime heard the pain in Raiden's voice as the other girl bared her soul. She knew how it felt when you cared deeply for someone and they didn't return the feelings. Her thoughts came to rest on Ichigo. She had loved the kid for as long as she could remember, but she was too shy to approach him. "Does Ichigo know?"

Raiden shook her head, "He doesn't even know Yoruichi isn't a cat. He's not as smart as you are," she shot the other girl a small grin. "And he has no idea I'm a Soul Reaper. I hate lying to him, but he'll know when the time is right." The two of them made their way into a rather large hut where Jidanbo was currently sleeping. Orihime quickly called out her Shun Shun Rikka and got to work with her healing process.

"So why keep it from him?" Orihime looked up at her through the dull orange glow of her healing shield.

Raiden knew this question was coming. She didn't know whether or not to be truthful with the girl. On one hand, her father had been very strict with his instructions about revealing his true identity, but lying to Orihime just felt wrong. "Ichigo is under a lot of stress right now. He has so much on his plate and him knowing about me wouldn't help the situation any." It wasn't exactly a lie… more like a half truth.

Orihime nodded. She knew Raiden was holding something back but she decided not to press the issue. If she wanted to keep this from Ichigo, then that was her business and Orihime would respect that. There was so much more that Orihime wanted to ask her about, but she decided it would be a conversation for later. She directed her attention back to her healing. She was in the same boat as Raiden was. She would have to hide this side of her from Tatsuki and everyone else she knew. "It must be hard, keeping this part of your life a secret," she looked up at Raiden, "How do you do it?"

Raiden cocked her head to the side; she wanted to tell Orihime about how she grew up with Soul Reaper parents and it was just second nature to hide it from humans. She wanted to tell her that it was easier for her to have a father who was in the same boat… "I don't know, honestly. I just avoid talking about anything that has to do with any of this," she gestured towards Jidanbo who was still passed out as Orihime healed his wounds. "I guess spending time with Kisuke and Yoruichi makes it easier. At least I can be around people who know."

Orihime nodded in agreement, "I guess I have that now, too. I just think about returning to my ordinary, boring life when this is all over and I wonder how I'll be able to do it." The somber tone in her voice made Raiden wince and she reached out and grabbed Orihime's arm gently.

"Boring usually means safe," she nodded to emphasize. It was a concept she knew all too well. If she were being honest with herself, she'd prefer to be human; away from all this chaos. She had never asked for a life like this, nor did she ask for any power or the responsibility that came with it. But that was the hand she was dealt and there was no other choice. There was no going back.

* * *

**Confession: I absolutley HATE Orihime's character, but i get sick and tired of all the stories here that depict her as an absolute air-head, when in reality, she's actually pretty deep. I rewatched the episodes on my DVD's and her character is a lot smarter then i first realized so i decided to give her a break in this story. Please leave me a review telling me what you thought about this chapter, even if you hated it and want to tell me i should be ashamed :) Hopefully it wont take too long to update again. Thank you for sticking with me thus far!**


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